


A Model Romance

by Dextrousleftie



Category: Fruits Basket
Genre: Anal Sex, Gay Sex, M/M, Oral Sex, Romance, cross dressing, fashion - Freeform, hot models
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-13 20:44:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5716450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dextrousleftie/pseuds/Dextrousleftie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aya sets out to find someone for his shy cousin Ritsu. Will his idea pan out, or will it go spect6acularly wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The tinkling bell over the shop door rang as someone entered Sohma Ayame’s handicrafts and clothing shop. A moment later a soft voice called out, “Aya-san? Cousin Aya?”

Aya looked up from the dress he was altering for a client when he heard the familiar voice. A small smile flitted across his lips as he pushed himself up from his sewing machine and left the back room of the shop. Pushing through the beaded curtains, he walked out into the front of the shop to greet the nervous young man waiting near the door.

“Ritsu-chan!" he exclaimed heartily, as though he hadn’t just seen the young monkey two days ago. He put out his hands to capture Ritsu’s own in a tight embrace, which the monkey allowed. The young Sohma lad had learned to relax a great deal, at least around Aya, since he’d started working in the shop part-time almost six months ago.

It was Shigure who’d suggested to Aya that he hire their young cousin, when Ritsu had told the dog that he was looking for a job. Shigure had winced when he'd thought of Ritsu trying to find work anywhere else. The boy's endless apologizing would grate on potential employers' nerves, and Ritsu was too shy and timid to deal well with customers. Aya had happily hired his young cousin, both because Ritsu was lovely and he because liked to wear women’s clothes. These were good qualifications for working in Aya’s specialized clothing shop, and the whole thing had worked out surprisingly well all around.

Aya’s boundless confidence was rubbing off on Ritsu - and the young monkey had actually come up with some good ideas for clothing designs. But then, although it wasn’t common knowledge among the Sohmas, Ritsu was actually attending a fashion design course in college. He intended to follow in his cousin’s footsteps, a fact which pleased and delighted Aya to no end. As Hatori had said in exasperation, it just made Aya’s head swell even larger.

“What brings you here today?” asked Aya, releasing Ritsu’s hands and beaming at him.

The slim boy sighed. “I was hoping you could help me, Cousin Aya. I have a fashion show coming up in a few weeks for this semester’s final exam. We have to showcase the clothes we’ve designed so I need to find a model. But I…” he trailed off, looking distressed, and Aya correctly interpreted his silence to mean that Ritsu simply couldn’t bring himself to approach someone at his school to act as his amateur model.

“You’ve come to the right place!” exclaimed Aya, throwing his arms wide. “I know many, many models. If you like, I’ll ask one of them to do your little show for you.”

Immensely relieved, Ritsu smiled his shy, soft smile at his flamboyant older cousin. “Arigatou, Aya-san,” he breathed.

“Now,” Aya asked, putting a finger up to his lips. “Do you require a man or a woman?”

“A man,” Ritsu said.

“Excellent! I have just the right one in mind. I’ll call him and have him come to the shop tomorrow at noon. Then you can come and meet him. Will that do?”

Ritsu looked very nervous at the thought of meeting his potential model, but he nodded gamely. “Hai. I’ll come back tomorrow at noon,” he said. He said his farewells and hurried out of the shop, leaving Aya staring thoughtfully after him.

A huge grin suddenly sprang up on the snake's face. Humming to himself, he went back to use the phone in his tiny office. Aya was a total romantic, and he just loved love. Yes, he had just the man in mind for his young cousin, and if his instincts ran true - which they often did - this person would do more than model for Ritsu. Gleefully Aya dialed the number in his rolodex, his foot tapping on the floor to some unheard refrain. 

When a woman’s voice came on the line, Aya said: “May I speak to Fujihara Aoshi, please? This is Sohma Ayame calling.” She told him to wait and after a moment a quiet, calm voice came onto the line. 

“Aya-san,” the voice said, sounding pleased. “It’s been awhile since I talked to you. What can I do for you?”

“Aoshi-kun. It’s great to hear your voice,” Aya said. “And I see that you’re doing wonderfully well. I’m so pleased. I do have a little request for you. It’s just this…” he spoke for some time, and when he was through the voice on the other end of the line replied: “Of course. I’ll be there tomorrow. I don’t have a photo shoot until after two o’clock.”

“Perfect!” Aya cried, nearly wriggling with happiness. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Aoshi-kun,” he hung up, feeling wholly pleased with himself, and went back to finish the dress. His assistant, Mine, gave him a curious look when she saw his barely-concealed glee.

“What’s got you so up, Boss?” she asked.

“Oh, just a little favor that I’m doing for Ritsu-chan,” he replied, giving her a sly wink.

Mine raised her eyebrows. While she adored her employer, she also liked poor little Ritsu a great deal. She felt apprehensive about the expression on her boss's face, since he looked like the cat that’d just swallowed the canary. She hoped that whatever he was up to wouldn’t end up hurting the shy young man in some way. Not that Aya would ever do anything to deliberately hurt anyone, but he seldom considered the consequences of his actions.

“Are you going to tell me what this favor is?” she asked cautiously.

Aya shook his head. “You’ll see tomorrow, Mine,” he said, and wouldn’t tell her anything else. She shook her head and went to attend to a customer, praying that whatever scheme Aya had in mind would turn out all right.

 

 

Ritsu ventured into the shop the next day, pulling nervously at the collar of his uniform. Now that he was in college he couldn’t wear girl's clothes all the time. But since he got to wear the fabulous clothing in Aya’s shop when he demonstrated them for clients it wasn’t so bad. But right at this moment he was so wound up that the uncomfortable uniform seemed to be trying to strangle him.

Timidly he walked toward the back, where the small grouping of couches was in the area where Aya modeled his clothing for potential clients. Sweat had broken out on his brow, and he clasped his hands together in front of himself and twisted. His eyes were huge in his pale face, and he looked as though he would faint dead away at any moment. Which was very possible given his current state of anxiety.

He saw Aya lounging on one of the couches. Sitting with his back to Ritsu was a tall man with raven-black hair, although the nervous young monkey couldn’t see anything else about him. Aya looked up and spotted Ritsu, and a huge smile broke over his face. “Ritsu-chan!” he cried, waving a hand. “Come and meet your model. Fujihara Aoshi, this is my cousin, Sohma Ritsu.”

The man with his back to Ritsu stood up and turned around. Black spots danced in front of Ritsu’s eyes, as shock wavered through him. Standing in front of him was one of the hottest male models in Japan, a man whose face adorned hundreds of billboards and magazine covers. Ritsu had seen those exotic, tarnished-silver eyes staring back at him from posters in the bus terminals and ads for everything from cologne to sports drinks. 

“Pleased to meet you,” this vision said quietly, although Ritsu was having a hard time understanding what he was saying. Shock was still paralyzing him, and he really was feeling dizzy. 

Aoshi cocked his head to the side. “Are you all right?” he asked, seeing how pale the lovely boy had become. 

“Of course he’s all right!” Aya said, sweeping past Aoshi and taking Ritsu’s arm to guide him to one of the couches. He pushed his young cousin down and whispered near his ear "Take deep breaths, Ritsu-chan.”

“He’s just amazed to see who I brought for him,” Aya beamed looking up at Aoshi. The model lifted an eyebrow in a dubious manner, but he continued to watch Ritsu intently. Aya nearly chuckled aloud, but somehow refrained.

Ritsu did as Aya directed him, and slowly the dizziness passed. He had closed his eyes when the room started to spin, but he opened them again tentatively when his head steadied. What he’d rather hoped was a dream was still real - the tall young man standing behind Aya was still there, looking down at him with an enigmatic expression on his amazingly beautiful face. 

Up close and in person, Aoshi’s face was even more stunning than in his photographs. Ritsu’s shocked eyes took in high, liquid cheekbones, a narrow nose, a well-shaped mouth and those peculiar eyes shaded by thick black lashes that would have made a woman jealous. His eyebrows had a fine arch to them, and his silky black hair was cut in a soft wave that perfectly framed his face. Up until this moment, Ritsu had thought that his cousin Aya was the most beautiful man that he’d ever seen. While Aya might pout to be relegated to second place, Aoshi was the winner by a good margin.

“Better now?” Aya asked, and Ritsu could only nod silently. His voice seemed to have deserted him altogether.

“Good. Sit down Aoshi-kun, and we’ll talk about my little Ritsu-chan’s show.” He waved a hand at the model, who had draped himself elegantly on the couch farthest away from the one Ritsu was sitting on. He seemed to know that if he got any closer to the young Sohma the boy probably WOULD pass out. 

Aya sat down next to Ritsu to lend moral support to his poor young cousin. Ritsu’s cinnamon-colored eyes were huge, and his face was still quite pale. Although he seemed to have regained some of his composure, who knew how long that would last?

“As you can see, Ritsu-chan,” Aya began, “My young friend Aoshi-kun has agreed to be the model for your little fashion show. Won’t the rest of your school be surprised to see who you’ve gotten as your model?”

‘Surprised’ wasn’t the word that came to Ritsu’s mind. Amazed, stunned, disbelieving, those were all words that suited better. Everyone else would be using their friends as models, and here he was with one of the most famous professional models in Japan ready to display his creations! 'My designs aren’t worthy of someone like this!' Ritsu’s mind screamed. The urge to throw himself down on his knees and apologize for his very existence was so strong that he only stopped himself by twisting his hands together in his lap until the bones nearly cracked.

Aoshi’s sharp eyes saw what Ritsu’s hands were doing, and he had to stifle an urge of his own. He wanted to go over to the distraught boy and separate those hands, and then he wanted to hug Ritsu until the lovely creature stopped trembling. He did neither, as he suspected any move on his part would only make the lovely boy's anxiety worse. Instead he spoke, in as even and soothing a tone as possible: “I’m looking forward to seeing your designs, Sohma-kun. Your cousin has told me all about how talented you are.”

Ritsu nearly began to hyperventilate at Aoshi’s words. 'I’m not talented, I’m nothing, and I shouldn’t even exist!' He screamed in his mind, as he stuttered: “I-I don’t kn-know how talented I am. Cousin Aya is much more talented than I am. I’m sorry…” that last just came out, and he had to bite his lip to stop the apologies from pouring out of him.

Aya and Aoshi exchanged a look over Ritsu’s bent head. Aya looked resigned, Aoshi concerned. But the model let none of his concern show in his voice when he replied soothingly: “I’m sure your designs will be good. I’ll have to see them, won’t I? We’ll have to do fittings and alterations before your show.”

Ritsu was horrified at this thought. But Aoshi was right - he’d have to show his worthless designs to the glorious model sitting across from him, looking like a dark angel come to Earth. He shuddered, and Aya felt it. The snake cast a worried glance at Ritsu, beginning to wonder if he hadn’t perhaps pushed his poor young cousin a little too far this time. 

“Ritsu-kun,” Aoshi’s voice had a gentle, soothing quality to it, a tone that flowed over the young Sohma and for some reason made him relax. He looked up from his hands, finding himself pulled into a pair of quiet, still silver eyes that seemed to be speaking to his very soul, wrapping him in a feeling of peace and tranquility that the young monkey had never experienced before in all of his anxiety ridden life. His hands untwisted and fluttered down into his lap as Aya stared in amazement.

Aoshi continued speaking in that same tone of voice while never tearing his gaze away from Ritsu’s. “I know that your designs are wonderful, Ritsu-kun, if they were created by you. I can’t wait to show them off for you. When shall I come in for my first fitting?”

Ritsu answered softly but unwaveringly, as though he were in a dream. “If you could come in tomorrow, I can take your measurements and do the first fitting.”

Aoshi nodded. “What time?”

“One o’clock?”

“Fine. I’ll be there. I’m sure your cousin Aya-san can give me directions.”

Aya was hard pressed not to leap up and shout for joy, but he kept his composure(barely) and merely said: “I’ll take you there myself, Aoshi-kun.”

The model smiled crookedly. Ritsu was still locking gazes within him, unable to look away, hypnotized and entranced by something he saw in the silver depths. He seemed unaware of how long he’d been staring at Aoshi, all his nervousness abated by the stillness that seemed to have enfolded him in a soft embrace. “Great,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then, Ritsu-kun?” he asked, and the monkey merely nodded rather bemusedly.

The model finally broke his eye contact with the boy, slowly and gently, and Ritsu blinked a bit, like a man coming out of a strange daze. “Don’t you have a class Ritsu-chan?” Aya said, hesitant to break into whatever had just happened between his cousin and his young friend, but not wanting Ritsu to be late.

Ritsu snapped out of his fugue state and glanced down at his watch. “Eek!” he cried, jumping to his feet. He had to go catch the bus, or he really would be late. “I...” he began, remembering his cousin and Aoshi abruptly.

“Just go,” Aya said, making a shooing motion with one of his long, elegant hands. “I’ll make sure Aoshi is at your school tomorrow promptly at one.”

Ritsu hesitated for a second longer, then darted away out the door at a dead run. He didn’t say goodbye to Aoshi, partially because his nervousness was starting to return and partially because of the turmoil of emotions that the model seemed to throw him into. Not his usual emotions either, but ones that were just as strong and that threw him even more off balance. He was glad to escape out into the afternoon sunshine although he did feel a strange pang at having to leave the shop. He ran for the nearest bus stop, his auburn hair streaming out behind him, oblivious to the admiring looks that he drew from people on the street as he passed. Ritsu had always been blind to his own attractions.

Back in Aya’s shop, the two men watched the monkey’s precipitous departure. Aya turned to look at Aoshi, a rather smug look on his face. “Well? What did I tell you?” he purred, totally pleased with himself.

The model laughed softly at his friend’s preening. “You’re so full of yourself, Aya-san,” he chided in amusement. “But for once I have to give you kudos. He’s lovely. I think I’m in love.”

Aya sighed contentedly. “Excellent,” he cried. “But do remember, Aoshi-kun,” he said, sobering a bit, “What I told you about my cousin. My wretched family has always treated him as though he’s worthless, especially his parents. He has just about no self-esteem to speak of, and it’s taken me months just to get him to stop apologizing for everything. You’ll have to be very, very careful and very patient if you want to woo Ritsu-chan. Treat him as though he’s made of glass or you’ll answer to me.”

Aya threatening someone was an amusing sight, but Aoshi didn’t laugh. “I understand, Aya-san. I’ll take this slow. You know that I’m a patient man when I want something.”

Aya nodded. He did know. Aoshi had bent his calm, almost glacial patience, along with his amazing force of will, onto everything he’d ever wanted. It was one of the reasons why his career flourished, for only having a beautiful face wasn’t enough to rise to the top of the modeling profession. There were a lot of good-looking people out there who weren’t as well-known and successful as Aoshi. If the model turned his focus onto Aya’s cousin, Ritsu-chan wouldn’t stand a chance. Which was just what Aya wanted...because he sensed that Aoshi would be a great stabilizing influence for Ritsu. He’d take care of the poor little monkey. and care for him in a way that no one else ever had. It was what Ritsu needed most desperately - someone to pay attention to him, to admire him sincerely, to believe in him. 

Aya couldn’t wait to tell Shigure about his latest matchmaking effort. The dog was almost as big a romantic at heart as he was himself. He wouldn’t tell Hatori just yet though - the doctor would tell him to mind his own business, that Ritsu might be hurt by his actions, that Aya didn’t know what was best for Ritsu. As if Hatori knew anything about romance! Aya snorted to himself. His cousin could be such a stick in the mud honestly. 

“Aya-san,” Aoshi said, pulling the snake out of his thoughts abruptly. “I have to go. I have a fitting before the photo shoot. I’ll come back tomorrow at 12:30, and you can take me to Ritsu’s college.”

He got to his feet, and Aya flowed up out of his seat as well to take Aoshi’s hand. “Wonderful. Until tomorrow, my young friend.”

Aoshi laughed at Aya’s flamboyant language, and raised the snake's hand to his lips. “Thank you, Aya-san,” he said, silver eyes gleaming. He released Aya's hand and strolled gracefully out of the shop, pulling his cell phone from his jacket pocket to call the car that would take him to the shoot.

Watching him leave, Aya grinned uninhibitedly. “No thank you, Aoshi dear,” he replied, his platinum-colored eyes twinkling. “You’ll make my little Ritsu so happy. I am a genius!” he exclaimed to the empty shop, throwing his arms out wide.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ritsu is freaking out...

Ritsu was in a state of near panic, which was not a new experience for him. He paced up and down in his workspace in the long open room that housed the fashion design students, wringing his hands and nearly shivering. He tried not to glance at the clock mounted on the wall overhead, but he couldn’t stop himself from checking it every five minutes. His cousin Aya was due to bring his model for his first fitting any minute now.

HIS model. What a joke. Someone like Fujihara Aoshi could never belong in any way to someone as worthless as he was. He almost whimpered as he imagined those spectacular silver eyes looking at his designs and slowly filling up with a look of contempt and disgust. “What are these?” Aoshi would say sneeringly. “Rags? You really have no talent at all, Ritsu,” and then he’d leave, turning a cold shoulder to Ritsu and his work. 'And then I’ll die', Ritsu thought, 'From shame'.

Back and forth, back and forth, he walked wildly from the L-shaped desk with the wide wooden worktop to the large metal rack that housed his bolts of fabric. There were six or seven other students scattered about the room, also in their workspaces, and all of them were ignoring Ritsu. They were used to his frenetic, anxious behavior by now; no one even looked up at the pacing, muttering figure. 

Ritsu was not popular among his fellow students anyway. His erratic personality, and his propensity for throwing himself to the floor and screaming out apologies at the drop of a hat, had alienated him from the rest of the class. He knew it, and he knew the reason why, but that just made him even more miserable. He was trying to change, but the habits of a lifetime were too deeply ingrained. Sometimes he'd sit at his sewing machine, quietly crying, while the rest of the class talked and laughed around him. 

Another glance at the clock. Two minutes to one. He began to pray that something would delay his cousin, like a traffic jam. Or maybe they’d be late; Aya was always late for everything. That made him feel hopeful. Perhaps they’d decide not to come at all. Perhaps a meteor would crash into the classroom and put him out of his misery….

“Oh, ho!” cried a familiar voice cheerfully. “Here we are. And there’s my sweet Ritsu-chan! Ritsu-chan, I’ve brought your model for you!”

Ritsu wanted to sink through the floor and die - but instead he turned to face the door at the far end of the room like a man turning to face a firing squad. His cousin Aya was strolling down the room, with Aoshi following quietly behind him. Aya was spectacular in his long red coat with his silver/white hair flowing down his back and his platinum-colored eyes agleam, but Ritsu couldn’t take his eyes off the man walking behind his cousin. Aoshi was wearing a short black leather jacket, over a cream silk shirt with a high, mandarin collar; a wide studded belt around his lean hips; and a pair of tight suede pants that showed off an acre of long legs. He wore square-toed combat boots on his feet, and Ritsu saw the gleam of the silver rings in his ears when he turned his head to look interestedly at the students who were pausing in their work to stare. He was utterly beautiful and amazingly sexy. It made Ritsu quiver just to look at him.

He wasn’t the only one having that reaction. He heard a distinct gasp from two girls standing a few feet away from him. “Is that…” cried one.

“It can’t be!” the other replied. “I mean, what would someone like that be doing HERE?”

Ritsu’s thought exactly. He could only stand, frozen in place, as his doom drew nearer and nearer. Aya laughed loudly at the look on his cousin’s face. Ritsu strongly resembled a carp when he was standing there like that, with his eyes practically bugging out of his head and his mouth gaping open. He swept up to the terrified boy and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Ah, Ritsu-chan!” he said. "We have arrived. And on time too! That was Aoshi-kun’s doing. He came and pried me out of my shop. So eager!” he said, shooting a playful look over his shoulder at Aoshi. The model frowned at his exuberance, because he could see that it was just making Ritsu worse. The boy looked like he’d go into a catatonic state at any moment.

“Aya-san,” Aoshi said in a voice of steel, immediately getting Aya’s attention. 

“Yes?” he glanced back at Aoshi again, and was pinned by a set of eyes gone the color of a swordblade. 

“Thank you for making sure I got here all right. But don’t you think you should go back to your shop? You don’t want to disappoint your customers.”

Aya started to blithely say that his shop would do very well by itself for the afternoon - when Aoshi narrowed his eyes threateningly. Aya wasn’t always quick on the uptake, but Aoshi sometimes reminded him of Hatori. That look made him snap to attention. “Ahhh, yes, truly you’re right Aoshi-kun,” he said, putting a dramatic hand to his heart. “My little shop cannot do without me for long. So I’ll leave you two to get acquainted. Have fun, children.” And Aya swept away in his usual style, somewhat marred by the fact that everyone in the room was still staring at Aoshi in bewildered shock.

Aoshi waited until Aya had gone before he approached Ritsu. The young monkey was still doing a good imitation of a statue, standing in the middle of his work space like Lot’s wife. The model was cautious in his advance, making no fast moves that would upset or scare Ritsu further. When he spoke it was very softly and gently. “Sohma-kun? Are you all right? Nod if you can hear me.”

There was a perceptible pause, which made Aoshi’s heart turn over, but at last Ritsu’s head dipped in a tiny nod. Sighing in relief at this sign of life, Aoshi decided to give the lovely boy some space. “I’m just going to look around - if that’s okay, Sohma-kun.”

He walked out into the open floor beyond Ritsu’s work space and found himself at the center of a circle of staring eyes. All of the others students had gathered nearby to gape at the vision that had invaded their classroom. There were more than a few disbelieving looks, partially because of his presence and partially because he was seemingly here to see that Sohma boy. How, the other students were wondering, had Sohma Ritsu ever gotten someone like Fujihara Aoshi to come to the college to see him? It just didn’t seem possible.

Used to attention, Aoshi raked the onlookers with a bored, contemptuous glance. He hated the glazed fan-boy looks that he garnered wherever he went, and he despised the fawning attentions heaped onto him. One of the girls looked like she was contemplating swooning dead away - but if she thought that he was going to catch her before she hit the floor, in some sappily romantic fashion, then her bruises would prove her wrong.

“Ano..?” one of the students said in a trembling voice. “Aren’t you…Fujihara Aoshi? The model?”

“That’s right,” Aoshi replied in clipped tone of voice.

“What are you doing here?” squealed one of the girls rudely, then clapped her hand over her mouth. Aoshi frowned at her.

“I came to be fitted. I’m modeling Sohma Ritsu’s clothes for him in the fashion show.”

There was a collective gasp from the students. “You are? Why?” demanded a skinny boy in disbelief. “I mean, how did someone like Sohma-kun ever get you to…” he trailed off as Aoshi’s eyes darkened to the color of a storm-filled sky. He gulped in sudden fear, taking a step back.

“I’m here because I choose to be,” Aoshi said in a deadly calm tone of voice that could have shredded steel at ten paces. “Because I’m helping out a friend. Ritsu-kun is a talented designer, and I want to help show off his designs to their best advantage. Do you have a problem with that?” he asked silkily, turning a Look of Death on the terrified student.

“N-no sir,” gulped the boy, starting to back up away from the angry model.

“Good. Now I’m sure you all have things you could be doing,” Aoshi said in a tone that brooked no disagreement. He ran his eyes over the small group of students, and they all retreated hurriedly back to their work spaces. 

Aoshi shook his head and wandered past Ritsu’s work table. He saw four tailors' dummies standing in the open place right beside it, and realized that these must be the clothing Ritsu had designed for the show. He walked over to look at them, curious. While he’d told the other students that Ritsu was a good designer, and Aya had assured him that Ritsu was talented, he still had no idea one way or the other. While he didn’t care, per se, whether the boy was a fashion genius or not, he was still interested in seeing his designs.

The first dummy was attired in a thigh-length frock coat of deep-red satin, heavily embroidered with gold thread. Fanciful creatures like wyverns and sphinxes gamboled across the fabric in joyful play among the leaves and flowers. The wide lapels of the coat were of red leather, and there were large, antique-looking gold buttons. The shirt underneath the coat was softly romantic, a flowing white lawn with a small frill at the collar and cuffs. The shirt was tucked into narrow, elegant black trousers. The whole outfit literally took Aoshi’s breath away. He hesitantly put out a hand to touch the shoulder of the coat, feeling he stiffness of the gold embroidery under his fingertips.

He forced himself to move onto the next outfit, although he felt as though he could have continued looking at the first one for hours. This one consisted of a dark-blue velvet vest-shirt with gauzy sleeves and longer panels of the same sheer fabric attached to the bottom of the vest. Silver buttons held the vest closed, and there were two large silver buttons on either side of each sleeve. Draped between these buttons were two lengths of silver chain. Near the bottom of the vest, on either side of the waist, were two more sets of buttons and hanging chains. The pants that went with this lovely shirt were black leather which closed down the sides with silver clasps. 

Dazzled, he went on to the next outfit. There was a waist-length rose-colored suede jacket with dark fur along the collar and cuffs, over a thigh-length vest of dark-brown velvet. The vest was covered with heavy embroidery done in a slightly darker shade of brown, so that it didn’t stand out against the fabric. It showed up only subtly, catching the eye when the observer was least expecting it. Round velvet buttons held the vest closed. The pants were tucked into knee-high suede boots.

Last but not least, the final outfit consisted of a dark-red silk shirt with panels of sheer fabric down the front and sides. The cuffs were wide, and held in place by triangular gold buttons stamped with the kanji symbols for peace and prosperity. The narrow collar was edged with a gold chain that was attached to two more of the triangular buttons at the front. The pants were wide-legged with squares of material cut out down the seams to show tantalizing flashes of flesh. 

Remarkable. Aoshi was astonished by the talent displayed in this small collection. Admiration for the designer flashed through him, along with amazement that Ritsu was so blind to his own gifts. Shaking his head at the boy’s cluelessness, he turned away from the wonderful collection of clothing - and found himself face-to-face with Ritsu, who was swaying in place while the color drained out of his face. Horrified, Aoshi darted forward to catch him before he passed out.

“Ritsu-kun! What is it? What’s the matter?” Aoshi cried, gently cradling the ghost-pale boy in his arms. Ritsu was shaking like a leaf, and his eyes huge in his pinched face. 

Ritsu couldn’t speak. He’d known what was going to happen - but to have it actually happen was like a nightmare come to life. He’d finally worked up the courage to venture out of the safety of his workspace and follow the model to where he was looking at Ritsu’s collection, only to see him turn away shaking his head in disgust. He hated Ritsu’s designs, just as the young monkey had known that he would. 'I’m worthless! Useless! I can’t even do this right, and it’s the only thing I want to do!' He wailed inside his own head. 'I might as well just die right now!'

Aoshi was growing more and more concerned. Ritsu wouldn’t say anything, but the anguish in his large eyes smote the model to his heart. What had happened to cause this reaction in the designer? Was it something that he’d done? He forced himself to step back and think logically about it. He remembered turning away from the clothing, thinking to himself how talented Ritsu was, and shaking his head over the boy’s non-comprehension. Then he’d seen Ritsu, and the boy had already been upset…

Oh, Gods! Aoshi realized in horror. Ritsu had seen him turn away shaking his head, and had misinterpreted his gesture. He thought that Aoshi didn’t like his designs. “Ritsu!” he cried, giving the trembling figure a small shake. “Listen to me! I know what you’re thinking - you think I don’t like your designs. But you’re wrong! I think they’re fabulous! You’re one of the most talented designers I’ve ever seen - and I should know, being a model. I will be proud to wear your clothes in the show. Do you hear me, Ritsu?” he projected all of his sincerity into his voice, trying to force the young designer to hear the truth and break out of his cycle of self-abuse and shame.

Ritsu blinked as the full import of Aoshi’s words finally reached him. 'He likes my designs?' He thought in disbelief. 'He thinks I’m talented? That can’t be!' But as his eyes focused once again, he saw the sincere admiration shining in the silvery eyes looking down on him. Along with something else, some emotion that made his stomach begin to flutter and his heart to pound very fast. A shy, amazed warmth stole over him, a feeling that he’d had so seldom before that he didn’t even recognize it now. Ritsu was happy.

Seeing the soft rose color rise in the alabaster cheeks, Aoshi drew in a sharp breath. The huge cinnamon-colored eyes were alight, the sweet mouth moving into a shy smile that made the model’s groin tighten and caused him to emit a soft groan. Ritsu, unaware of the effect he was having on Aoshi, wriggled a bit in his arms in happy pleasure, and nearly sent the model through the roof. He had to draw back a bit so as not to startle or scare Ritsu with the erection that was now pressing painfully against the leather of his pants.

“You really like them?” Ritsu said breathlessly, peeping up at Aoshi through his dark-brown lashes in a manner that nearly finished the model off altogether. Somehow he pulled himself together enough to respond, but it was a struggle.

“Yes I do. Your cousin Aya was right - you’re quite talented. I can’t wait to wear them in your show. But to do that we need to start the fitting. Do you think you can stand by yourself, Ritsu-kun?” not that he wanted to give up the feel of the lovely boy in his arms, but if he didn’t get away from the designer soon there was going to be an embarrassing accident.

Ritsu suddenly became aware of the fact that he was standing leaning against Aoshi’s chest, the warmth of the model’s skin seeming to burn him right through the cream silk shirt and the fabric of his uniform. He sprang away, hideously embarrassed and mortified, but also feeling strange tingles run through him from where he’d rested against Aoshi. “Gomenasai!” he cried in breathless horror, clutching at his hair.

“Ritsu-kun,” Aoshi used the same voice that he’d employed in the shop yesterday - that soothing, gentle tone that seemed to wash over him and relax everything inside of him. “It’s all right. You didn’t do anything you need to apologize for. Shall we get started with the fitting?”

Calmed by his gentling tone, Ritsu lowered his hand and nodded. “Yes, I need to take your measurements,” he said. For once he didn’t go into a spasm over the thought of touching Aoshi, which he’d have to do when he used his measuring tape to get the model’s measurements so that he could alter the clothes to fit him. He led the way back to his workspace to fetch the measuring tape from one of the drawers in the table.

Aoshi followed him quietly, again making no sudden moves that would startle him out of the peaceful zone he’d entered. Ritsu retrieved the measuring tape, and Aoshi stood passively waiting for his commands. He stood with his legs slightly spread, knowing the drill. He’d been measured hundreds of times before for fittings. Ritsu came to stand beside him and ran the tape around his waist. As he bent to read the numbers on the tape, Aoshi breathlessly decided that this wasn’t like any of the other times that he’d been measured. This was going to be pure torture.

Ritsu took the measurement, and walked away to write it in a small notebook that he pulled from another drawer. Then he came back again to run the tape over Aoshi’s shoulders, around his neck, and down each arm. He measured around the model's upper arm and wrist, his fingers dexterous and impersonal. That was the only thing keeping Aoshi in check - the professionalism that Ritsu was displaying. The urge to kiss the lovely boy was so strong in the aroused model that it was all he could do to just stand there and let Ritsu measure him.

Ritsu was totally unaware of anything but what he was doing. He heard Aoshi gasp as he knelt down to measure his inseam, but the sound barely registered. His hands came dangerously close to the model’s groin - and Aoshi bit back another groan and began to recite a Buddhist prayer mantra in his head. Sweat broke out on his forehead. He stared desperately down at the top of Ritsu’s head as the designer knelt at his feet, and the thought of the other things that the lovely boy could be doing while he was down there nearly broke him altogether. 

Ritsu finally finished, getting to his feet and going over to jot down the measurements as he wound the measuring tape back up. Aoshi let out a heartfelt sigh of relief, trying to ignore the throbbing in his groin as he sought to get himself back under control. He’d never reacted with this much nearly uncontrolled lust to anyone else before, and he found himself feeling a bit off-balance because of that fact.

Ritsu put the measuring tape back in the drawer. As he did so there was a loud sound down at the other end of the room. One of the girl students was squealing over the diamond engagement ring that another female student had just come in sporting. It made Ritsu jump, and broke him out of that quiet place that Aoshi’s voice seemed to send him into sometimes. Nervousness surged through him as he came back to himself, and he turned hesitantly to glance at Aoshi over his shoulder. 

The model stood with his eyes closed, his wondrous long lashes resting on his cheeks. His mouth was slightly open as he fought to get his breath back, and his glorious pale skin was stained with color. His chest rose and fell with the force of his breathing. The sight of him made a strange, powerful feeling run through Ritsu, and he felt an unknown surge of desire. To his horror, he realized that he was getting an erection. Except for one or two tentative attempts at masturbation, Ritsu had absolutely no experience sexually. The way he was reacting to Aoshi scared him to death.

“Ano…I’ve got to go to the bathroom. Please excuse me,” he somehow got out and bolted away down the room. He would have moved even faster, but he had to run almost bent over because of the tightness at his crotch.

Aoshi’s eyes had opened when Ritsu spoke, and he watched the monkey scurry from the room. Something about the awkward angle that the boy was carrying himself at looked familiar…when he identified what it was, Aoshi couldn’t bite back a large grin. It was good to know that he affected the lovely boy the same way that Ritsu affected him. It was a good sign actually. Pleased as punch, Aoshi settled down carefully on the tall stool that Ritsu sat on when he was working and waited patiently for Ritsu to return once his ‘problem’ had subsided.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ritsu. Aoshi has his work cut out for him...

Ritsu huddled in one of the bathroom stalls, bent over himself with his hands clutching his knees. He moaned softly as he rocked back and forth, utterly embarrassed by his plight. The young monkey made no move to touch himself, to try to relieve the pleasurable pain of the erection straining against the zipper of his pants. He was too ashamed of having this happen to him in public to even think about trying to get rid of it the old-fashioned way.

How his mother would have cringed to see him like this. She would have fallen to her knees, babbling apologies for her naughty son, screaming them out at the top of her lungs so that everyone could hear her. Ritsu still wasn’t sure how he felt about her death - she’d succumbed to a heart attack last year. While he’d loved his parent, deep down he also resented her for helping to make him the way he was. Ritsu yearned to be free of the prison of his own personality. Quiet sobs burst forth from his throat now, as he wallowed in an agony of shame and self-disgust.

 

“Ritsu-kun?” a familiar quiet voice called as the bathroom door squeaked open. Ritsu froze in horror, trembling at the thought of Aoshi seeing him like this. “Are you in here?” the model said, and Ritsu heard his footsteps as he walked into the bathroom. 

'Please, please just go away!' He cried silently in his own mind. 'Leave me alone! Please!'

 

Aoshi hesitated, wondering if Ritsu had bolted altogether instead of just going to the bathroom. He’d waited for awhile in Ritsu’s workspace, but when the boy hadn’t returned he’d grown concerned. If Ritsu had run away he’d have to get the boy's address from Aya. He sensed that Ritsu would want to avoid him at all costs now, and there was no way that he was going to let that happen. But just as he turned to leave the seemingly empty bathroom, he heard a tiny, muffled sound from one of the stalls.

Approaching the closed door, he pondered just knocking and trying to talk to Ritsu through the door. But the boy would most likely refuse to say anything to him. So he put out his hand and pushed lightly on the door, pleased to see that Ritsu hadn’t locked it. It swung open silently. Inside, he saw Ritsu huddled in a heap on the closed seat of the toilet, his arms around his knees and his head bent over his arms. He was rocking back-and-forth silently, and Aoshi heard another very quiet sob burst forth from his throat. That was the noise that he’d heard just a moment ago.

Aoshi’s heart fell to see the condition Ritsu was in. He stepped forward and put his hand on Ritsu’s shoulder, causing the young monkey to nearly jump out of his skin at the touch. He hadn’t heard the door open above the muffled sound of his own sobbing, and he’d hoped that Aoshi had heard nothing and had left the bathroom. He jerked his head up to stare in horror at the man standing above him, gazing down at him with a soft look of compassion on his beautiful face.

Ritsu’s adorable face was red from crying, his huge eyes swollen and red-rimmed. Aoshi didn’t think that he’d ever seen a more woeful countenance, and he couldn’t help himself. He bent down and gathered Ritsu into his arms, holding the younger man in a close embrace, as he whispered quiet words of reassurance in his ear. One of his hands stroked Ritsu’s silky hair, while the other curled around the back of his neck. This was to gently hold him in place lest he decide to try to bolt out of the bathroom.

Ritsu was stunned. No one had ever held him like this - his mother couldn’t, since she hadn't been Juunishi and she would have transformed if she'd hugged him. His father wouldn’t - he'd blamed both himself and Ritsu for the curse his son bore, and had never shown any love toward his offspring. The Sohmas as a whole were not touchy-feely people - and the cursed ones were especially wary of hugging. The feel of Aoshi’s strong arms around him, the hands gently stroking him, that melodic deep voice speaking words of comfort in his ear - it was almost too much to bear. But at the same time, it was the sweetest thing that had ever happened to Ritsu. He felt safe, cared for, and even...loved? He relaxed under Aoshi’s embrace, a sigh ghosting out of his chest as his sobs quieted and died away.

Aoshi felt the boy relax against him and smiled. He was thoroughly enjoying holding Ritsu in his arms, the feel of that soft skin and silky hair making him excited again. But he made no move to try to seduce Ritsu in any way, because the lovely boy wasn’t ready for that. Aoshi was willing to be patient and wait until he was. For now he simply took pleasure in touching Ritsu and in comforting him. He had the feeling no one had ever done this for the young Sohma lad before, and this thought angered him. Ritsu was such a sweet thing, so lovable. How could anyone resist him? And how cold must the Sohma family be, to reject someone so wonderful?

 

An endless time seemed to pass, at least for Ritsu. He rested in Aoshi’s arms, feeling cradled and utterly content, his earlier shame forgotten. He closed his painfully swollen eyes and rested his forehead on Aoshi’s chest, wishing that he could stay there forever. His breathing slowed and gentled until he was nearly asleep in Aoshi’s arms. All of his anxiety and stress had flowed away, and he felt so peaceful that he couldn’t even work up the energy to lift his head or speak.

Looking down at the mane of auburn hair spreading out over his chest, Aoshi felt a kind of wonder. The trust that the nervous boy was showing in him amazed him. Ritsu was utterly relaxed against him, curled up like a kitten against his chest. He could tell from his breathing that the boy was even going to sleep, having totally surrendered himself to Aoshi’s gentle embrace. It made the model feel about ten feet tall, to know that Ritsu could relax so totally around him.

“Ritsu,” he breathed at last near the boy’s ear, reluctant to break the embrace but knowing they couldn’t stay in the bathroom all day. “Come on now, sweetness. Don’t fall asleep on me. Can you stand? I’ll take you home,” he coaxed the reluctant boy until Ritsu opened his eyes and blinked up at the man bending over him. 

 

Reality returned to Ritsu with a crash. He was in a public bathroom with Fujihara Aoshi! He’d cried in the man’s arms, and been held like a child. Mortified beyond words, he scrambled to his feet and prepared to run out of the stall like a deer. Aoshi, sensing the change in his mood, caught him by the arm before he could bolt again. “Come on,” he said gently, steering a blushing, trembling Ritsu out of the stall. “I’ll drive you home. You need to rest.”

Ritsu hung his head as Aoshi guided him out into the hallway and toward the doors that led outside. 'That such a worthless creature as myself should inconvenience someone like Aoshi-san!' He screamed in his head silently. 'He must think that I’m so stupid, crying like a baby! I wish that I would just die, right here and now!' But the Gods didn’t hear his plea. He continued to breathe as Aoshi escorted him outside and down the sidewalk to the parking lot, and from there to a sleek white convertible sports car. Aoshi settled him in the passenger’s seat, then got in the driver’s seat and started the car.

As he pulled out of the parking lot Aoshi glanced sideways at his silent companion. Ritsu’s head hung down nearly to his chest, his curtain of hair half-hiding his face from view. He was biting his lip, and his hands were twisting in his lap again. Aoshi cursed in his head to see the return of Ritsu’s anxious behavior, wondering if he shouldn’t have just left well enough alone in the bathroom. But they couldn’t have stayed there all day, much as he would have liked to.

 

He asked Ritsu directions to his small apartment, and received them in a voice so soft that he could barely hear it. The model concentrated on driving in the heavy traffic, and silence descended on the car. Aoshi was tempted to turn on the radio to break it, but he wasn’t sure what effect that would have on the jumpy Ritsu. So he drove steadily but swiftly, and they arrived at Ritsu’s apartment building some ten minutes later.

Aoshi got out of the car and came around to open Ritsu’s door. He had no intention of letting the lovely boy run away and hide in his apartment. Ritsu didn’t get out of the car right away, even after Aoshi opened his door. He sat and stared at his own knees, his head still bowed. Aoshi sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Ritsu-kun? We’re here,” he said.

 

Ritsu crept out of the car and stood huddled into himself as Aoshi closed the car door. Aoshi put his hand on Ritsu’s elbow and asked: “Which one’s yours?”

Ritsu whispered the number of his apartment in a trembly voice. Aoshi steered him down the sidewalk and up the stairs to his second floor apartment. When they arrived at his door, Aoshi released his elbow. Ritsu reached into his uniform tunic, and pulled out his apartment key from where it hung on a chain around his neck. He opened the door, finding himself reluctant to go inside for some reason. He had the wild urge to invite Aoshi inside, and this thought made him shake even harder. What was wrong with him?

“Ritsu-kun? Are you all right?” Aoishi asked. Ritsu somehow managed to nod, even as he bit his lip again nearly hard enough to draw blood.

Drawing on every bit of his courage, Ritsu whispered, “Would you like to come in?” in a nearly inaudible voice.

Aoshi’s eyes widened. He knew how much it must have taken out of Ritsu to ask something like that. “Yes, I’d like to,” he replied without letting his amazement show in his voice or face.

 

Ritsu nodded and led the way into his small, neat apartment. He took his shoes off and offered Aoshi a pair of slippers as the model did the same. Aoshi looked around curiously, noting very few personal touches anywhere in the pocket-sized living room. There were some pictures on a shelf - several of Aya with a dark-haired, dark-eyed man with a cheerful smile; and a serious man with a single slate-grey eye showing through a fall of dark hair. A nervous-looking woman with dark circles under her eyes was in several others, and there was one of Ritsu trying to be invisible among a group of young people. It was an interesting group - because one of the boys, who stood with a confident stance and glared at the camera with brandy-colored eyes, had orange hair. Another had pure white hair on top of his head and black hair on the bottom. A third was blonde with huge dark-brown eyes, and was grinning charmingly at whoever was taking the photo. There was also a slender boy who looked more than a bit like Aya, standing next to a pretty, big-eyed girl with a sweet smile.

“Is this your family, Ritsu-kun?” he asked, going over to look more closely at the photos.

“Y-yes. That is my mother. And the rest are my cousins.”

“You sure seem to have a lot of cousins. I only have one,” Aoshi remarked.  
“The Sohmas are a big family,” Ritsu said softly.  
“Mmm. I’m beginning to see that. Who are these two with Aya-san?”

“My cousins Shigure and Hatori. They all went to school together and they’re best friends,” there was an unconscious wistfulness in Ritsu’s voice - and a terrible, aching loneliness. Aoshi heard the undertones, and it made him want to hug Ritsu again. Instead he pointed to the group photo.

“I take it the top of the head back there is you? Who are the rest?”

“That’s Kyou,” Ritsu said, forgetting his shyness a bit as he pointed to the carroty-haired boy. And that’s Hatsuharu,” his finger moved to the boy with the parti-colored hair and the gentle grey eyes. “And Momiji, who’s the same age as Haru though you can’t tell,” he pointed to the blonde this time, and Aoshi had to agree you couldn’t tell. The kid looked about ten, while the tall boy with the black-and-white hair had to be at least sixteen. “And that’s Yuki, who is cousin Aya’s younger brother.” 

“He looks like Aya,” Aoshi agreed. “And is that pretty girl another cousin?”

“Oh no, that’s Tohru. She lives with cousin Shigure and Kyou and Yuki, but she’s not a Sohma. She works as cousin Shigure’s housekeeper. Hatori says that if she wasn’t around to take care of them they’d all end up living as hobos. They’re hopeless.”

Aoshi laughed softly as Ritsu unconsciously imitated someone with a sober, serious voice. “It must be nice to have so much family. I only have an uncle and a cousin, as well as my mother. I bet holidays among the Sohmas must be fun.”

Thinking of the New Year’s celebrations, Ritsu smiled a little. But then, as memories crashed through him of how the rest of the Sohmas treated him during those celebrations, he shivered and his eyes filled with shadows of old pain. Aoshi, who was watching him closely, felt his lips thin in anger. The Sohmas had hurt this boy badly for some reason, and it infuriated him that a family would treat one of its own like this. What kind of people were these that they’d reject someone like Ritsu? 

He turned away from the photographs, giving Ritsu a moment alone. His eyes ran over the plain white walls, the polished wood floor, and the small grouping of couches on the rug in the middle of the room. The only other personal touch in the room was a small vase of roses sitting on the counter that divided the living room from the tiny kitchen. They were red roses, beautiful specimens that looked as though they were freshly cut. The vase was Chinese with a black-and-white pattern on it. 

Ritsu had pulled himself together. “Would you like some tea?" he asked, waiting for rejection.

Aoshi nodded. “Yes I would. Thank you, Ritsu-kun. Do you mind if I sit down?” He gestured to the couches.

Ritsu nodded. “I’ll go make the tea,” he blurted and scurried away into his kitchen. 

Aoshi draped himself over the small couch, watching Ritsu as he put the teapot onto the small stove and turned on the burner. When he forgot that he was being watched, Ritsu moved with an unconscious grace. The model caught his breath a bit as the younger man bent down to retrieve something from one of the lower cupboards. 'Down boy!' He thought at his dick, which had stirred to life at the sight of Ritsu’s firm backside outlined against the fabric of his uniform pants.

Ritsu finally returned from kitchen with the brewed pot of tea, two tiny cups, and a plate of cookies on a tray. He set the tray on the coffee table at the center of the arrangement of couches - and then he nearly put his guest through the roof when he bent over to pour the tea from the pot into the cups. Being that close to such a lovely, well-shaped ass made sweat break out in a fine dew on Aoshi’s body. He had to curl his fingers into his palms hard enough to draw blood to keep himself from reaching out and touching it. When Ritsu straightened up and turned to hand him his cup of tea, he took it with a sigh of relief. This boy was driving him crazy!

 

“Arigatou,” he said, taking the cup and sipping. It was green tea, and quite good. Ritsu sat down nervously on the other couch, holding the delicate cup cradled in his palm. 

“This is good, Ritsu-kun,” Aoshi said, smiling at the anxious young man.

Ritsu felt a surge of warmth through his body. Every time that Aoshi smiled at him he felt as though sparks of electricity were running through him. He sipped at his tea hurriedly to try to cover his reaction. 

Aoshi was aware of the affect that he had on Ritsu. Deciding to push him a bit more, he leaned back a bit and lowered his eyelids over his eyes. Slowly he ran one of his hands through his soft hair and down the side of his neck. He let his fingers stroke at his own skin, and saw Ritsu draw in a sharp breath as his large eyes fastened on those stroking fingers. His hands tightened on his teacup until it seemed that it might shatter in his grip.

Aoshi smiled internally. He ceased his actions for the moment, not wanting to overwhelm the poor boy. He lifted his cup to his lips again, draining it. Much as he wanted to spend more time with Ritsu, he had to go. He had an appointment with his agent at 2:30, and he wanted the lovely boy to get used to his presence gradually. He leaned forward to set his empty cup on the tray. 

“Gomen, Ritsu-kun, but I have to go. I have a meeting with my agent in fifteen minutes, and it’ll take me that long to get across town. When do you want me to come to the school again for the next fitting?”

Ritsu felt such a surge of disappointment at Aoshi’s words that he could barely conceal it. He tried to concentrate on what Aoshi had asked him, but it was hard when his stomach seemed to be sinking into his shoes. “Etto…the day after tomorrow?” he said hesitantly.

Aoshi nodded. “That’s fine. Same time?”

 

“Y-yes,” Ritsu whispered. 

Aoshi got to his feet. “Good. I’ll be there. And afterward…” he trailed off, hesitating. “Would you let me take you to dinner, Ritsu-kun?” he asked softly.

Ritsu trembled violently as Aoshi’s words registered. 'No!' His mind screamed. 'One such as I does not deserve to go out with someone like this!' The hopeful look in the silvery eyes only made him feel worse. 'I am not worthy! You are too wonderful! I CANNOT…'

To his own astonishment, Ritsu felt his head move in a nod. Aoshi relaxed and smiled a little in pleasure. “Great. I’ll see you then, Ritsu-kun,” he went to the door and opened it. Ritsu knew that he should go over and see his guest out the door, but he was frozen on the couch in shock. Had he really said yes? Had he gone mad? Aoshi slipped his shoes back on, turned to give Ritsu a last gentle smile, and went out the door. It closed after him leaving Ritsu still sitting like a statue, staring at nothing.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aya is helping Aoshi win over Ritsu. The Gods help Ritsu...

The next day, Aya was helping Mine put some stock on the shelves when the bell jingled. He looked up and was surprised to see Aoshi walk into the store. 

“Aoshi-kun!” he cried happily, rising to his feet and hurrying over to greet the model. “What a pleasure! What brings you here today?”

“I need to talk to you, Aya-san” Aoshi replied seriously. “About Ritsu. If you have the time?”

Aya beamed. “I always have time for things like that” he said. “Come, come. Mine, my dear, would you make us some tea?”

“Sure, boss” Mine said, whisking away through the curtain into the back of the shop.

Aya seated himself gracefully on one of his couches, and Aoshi sat across from him so that he could see Aya’s face. “Now, what is this about my sweet Ritsu-chan?”

Aoshi hesitated as he gathered his thoughts. “I’d like you to tell me a bit more about his past, Aya-san” he said at last. “Maybe it would help me understand why he is the way he is. Plus, I have request for you, but that can wait until later.”

Aya curled a strand of his hair around his finger while he considered how much to tell his serious young friend about Ritsu. He couldn’t tell him about the family curse, of course, but the problem with that was that the curse was a big part of the story. All of the Juunishi had experienced similar treatment by the rest of the family at one time or another, especially young Kyou with his cat curse. How to tell Aoshi about Ritsu’s childhood without giving away the family secret?

“You must understand” Aya began cautiously, feeling his way through every word. “That part of it begins with Ritsu’s parents. His Mother was of an extremely nervous, anxious disposition. Much of Ritsu’s behavior is a mirror of hers. She instilled in him this anxiety about life, this feeling of no sense of self-worth, this need to apologize for everything. She was always doing that – screaming out apologies at the top of her lungs, throwing herself on the ground, groveling wildly. I’m afraid she had a bad effect on my poor little cousin.”

“Was?” Aoshi repeated. “Is she…deceased?”

Aya nodded. “She was frail and ill for the last few years of her life. She finally died last year of a heart attack. Ritsu was devastated, of course, but I also think that he was also a little bit relieved. Not that he’d ever admit to such a thing. I think we were all a little relieved. She could be hard to be around, sometimes. Most of the time, actually, although she wasn’t a bad woman at heart.”

Aoshi eyed him shrewdly. “Was it only Ritsu’s mother? Because you said that the rest of your family doesn’t treat Ritsu very well, either. Why is that? Is it just because of his nervous habits?”

Aya gently sweat dropped, and cursed his own big mouth. “Much of it is his tendency to act just like his mother” he said. “And some of it is the nature of the Sohma family. The Sohmas can be a cold, heartless lot. Cruel, too. I should know” Aya said with a grimace, drawing Aoshi’s attention away from the main subject. “They’ve been awful to me about the way I live” he drooped affectedly, putting a hand to his brow in artistic sorrow.

Aoshi only laughed quietly at Aya’s dramatics. “I expect that they’d be more accepting, Aya-san, if you weren’t so very flamboyant about the whole thing.”

Aya sighed. “Heartless. You are heartless, my young friend. You don’t understand the depth of my suffering…”

Aoshi threw back his head and laughed heartily. “You are a wonder, Aya.” He said when he could speak again. 

“I know” Aya replied smugly, having successfully glossed over the issue. “Now was that all you wanted to know about Ritsu-chan, or is there anything else? And what is this favor that you wanted?”

Aoshi considered. “I think that that’s all I need to know for now” he decided. “And the favor is this - I’m taking Ritsu out to dinner tomorrow night…”

“YOU ARE?” squealed Aya so loudly that Mine stuck her head out through the curtain to make sure that everything was all right. “But this is wonderful! Marvelous! You are a miracle worker, Aoshi-kun!”

Aoshi shook his head over Aya’s exclamations. “It’s just dinner, Aya-san. It’s not like we’re getting married, or anything.”

“Yes, but my little Ritsu-chan is so…well, you know” Aya said, waving a hand in the air. “I thought it would take you months to get him to agree to go on a date with you. This is a spectacular victory for romance, Aoshi-kun! I bow before the Master!” and he did so, bowing at the waist from his seated position.

Aoshi chuckled at Aya’s antics. “I think I just took him by surprise” he commented. “It’s getting him to go out on a second date that’ll be the real challenge. But I don’t want to think about that just yet. I just want to plan this date. And that’s where we come to the favor I want to ask of you. You told me on the phone that Ritsu feels most comfortable dressed up in women’s clothes.”

Aya nodded. “He’s always very calm when he’s modeling my clothes for the clients” he agreed. 

Aoshi nodded. “Good. That’s why I’d like to borrow one of your fabulous creations for Ritsu to wear tomorrow night at dinner.”

Aya’s eyebrows shot up. “You want Ritsu to dress as a girl on your date?” he demanded, astonished but pleased that Aoshi was requesting one of HIS designs.

Aoshi nodded. “If it’s how he feels most comfortable, then it would be best if he wore women’s clothes tomorrow night. He’s going to be nervous enough as it is, going out with me. I doubt that I’ll be able to get him out his door if he doesn’t have something to anchor himself with. And I thought that you could help him get dressed tomorrow, and put on make-up if he wants to. He trusts you, and you’ve got great taste.”

Aya couldn’t help but preen at this compliment. ‘Yes, I do” he agreed. “But you don’t mind escorting a young man dressed up as a girl, Aoshi-kun? In public, I mean?”

Aoshi shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me. My only worry is that the paparazzi will find out who Ritsu is and that he’s a guy, and they’ll torment him. He couldn’t take that. But I think that I have that problem solved. I’m going to take him to a very exclusive restaurant, where a lot of celebrities go to avoid the press. It’s a very private place that guarantees discretion. And it has a covered parking garage with security guards to keep out the reporters. No one should see Ritsu-kun but me and the people in the restaurant. And no one ever asks questions there, because they generally don’t want anyone poking into their business in return.”

“Excellent” Aya breathed. “I have just the dress in mind, Aoshi-kun. My little Ritsu-chan will look lovely in it. I just finished it – let me go fetch it and show it to you.” He bounced up off the couch and scurried into the back room, nearly running into Mine, who was balancing a tea tray. “Hey, boss, watch it!” she cried as Aya ran by.

She set the tray on the coffee table and shot a glance at Aoshi. “The boss sure is excited about something” She said, her voice laced with curiosity.

Aoshi gave her a small smile, which rather dazzled her. Really, the boss was gorgeous but this young man…  
“Aya-san has just gone to fetch a dress that he says will be perfect for Ritsu-kun to wear” Aoshi said.

Mine brightened up. “Oh, that’s good. Ritsu-chan always looks good in everything that the boss makes. Really, he’s prettier than some girls. And he’s so elegant and graceful”

“Yes, he is” Aoshi agreed sincerely. Mine blinked at his tone of voice, and the expression on his face. Oh, ho, so the wind blew in that direction did it? She realized suddenly that the ‘favor’ that the boss had said he was doing for Ritsu must be this young man. Really, Aya had good taste AND good instincts. Mine felt almost envious of Ritsu-chan, snagging someone as glamorous and beautiful as Aoshi-san. The model was clearly smitten.

“Here we are!” sang Aya happily, bouncing back through the curtain with a dress draped over his arm. “What do you think, Aoshi-kun? Is it not heavenly?”

The dress was a full length evening gown made of gold lace over amber silk. It had long, full sleeves and a plunging neckline, and tiny golden crystals were scattered over the lace. They caught the light and flashed as the material moved. The skirt was narrow, with a full train of lace that would sweep the floor when the dress was worn. It was a lovely thing, both flashy and elegant. Much like Aya’s own personality, Aoshi thought.

He stared at the proffered dress, drawing in a sharp breath as he had a sudden vision of what Ritsu would look like in it. The boy would be stunning. It was perfect. “It’s gorgeous, Aya-san” he said at last. “Once again, I’m astonished by your abilities. Ritsu-kun will look marvelous in it. Now, I must bow before the Master” and he bowed at the waist from a sitting position, just as Aya had done earlier.

Aya’s chest was swelling as he puffed himself up. Aoshi’s sincere admiration of his creation stroked the snake’s vanity. “Yes, I am a Master” he agreed without shame. “When it comes to the subject of men’s Romance, there is no one who can compete with me!” 

Aoshi’s lips twitched. And when it comes to the subject of huge egos, no one else can compete with you either, sweet Aya, he thought with fond amusement. “Will you take it over to Ritsu’s apartment tomorrow afternoon? And help him get ready? I’m sure that when you’re done with him, he’ll be so beautiful that everyone will be dazzled” Aoshi shamelessly stroked Aya’s ego further, ruthlessly taking advantage of Aya’s weak spot.

Aya nodded happily. “Of course, of course. With my help, my little Ritsu-chan will be a vision!”

Mine, who had been silent up until that moment, could contain her curiosity no longer. “Why are you dressing up Ritsu-chan in that dress, boss?” she blurted out. “It’s wonderful, but we aren’t giving a show tomorrow, are we?”

“No, no” Aya said, shaking his head. “Ritsu-chan is going out to dinner with my young friend Aoshi-kun here tomorrow night. And he’s to wear my dress! Just think how lovely he’ll be, darling Mine!”

Mine’s mouth opened in shock. Ritsu-chan? Going on a date with someone? That was impossible, wasn’t it?

Aya correctly read her expression. He beamed at her. “Yes, I know it seems improbable, sweet Mine, but it is so. Aoshi-kun has managed to get Ritsu-chan to go out with him. It is a miracle, most definitely. And miracles must be celebrated. Ritsu-chan shall wear my fabulous dress, and they shall have a completely romantic dinner, and Aoshi-kun will sweep little Rit-chan off his feet. Won’t that be wonderful?”

Mine, who was a bit more practical than her head in the clouds boss, felt a twinge of uneasiness. Where Ritsu-chan was concerned, nothing was likely to be that easy. She glanced at Aoshi, who was shaking his head over Aya’s declarations. But still…there was something about Aoshi-san that made her think that if anyone could pull this off, he could. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad, after all. Mine knew how lonely poor Ritsu-chan was. If anyone deserved someone to love and pamper him, it was Ritsu. She hoped for Ritsu’s sake that Aoshi actually managed to accomplish his goal; that Aya’s words became prophetic and that Aoshi would, indeed, sweep Ritsu off of his feet. And, oh, Kami, she prayed, don’t let the opposite happen. She didn’t want to see Ritsu hurt anymore than he already was. She strongly suspected that Aoshi-san could hurt Ritsu very badly, if he were not very careful.

Oblivious to his assistant’s deep thoughts, Aya left to fetch a garment bag to cover the golden treasure until he took it to Ritsu’s apartment tomorrow. Aoshi had helped himself to a cup of the tea Mine had made, and was sipping it. His hand trembled a little, because he was feeling more than a bit nervous. If this date didn’t go well, he doubted that he’d ever get to have another one with Ritsu. His future happiness depended on what happened tomorrow evening, and that was enough to make anyone sweat. He took a deep breath and tried to relax, but his muscles were simply too tense. Aoshi did a little praying of his own. 'Please, Kami, he thought fervently, please don’t let me screw this up. '


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ritsu and Aoshi go on their first date together.

A/N; Just for you, KutoNeko, because you asked for it -DL

 

Ritsu’s mind wasn’t exactly on what he was doing. He worked almost on auto-pilot, his fingers dexterous as he pinned and marked the red silk shirt. The fact that he was touching Aoshi rather intimately as he did so never occurred to his befuddled mind.

His brain wasn’t in the present. It was far away from the classroom, worrying and panicking over the fact that he’d agreed to out to dinner with Aoshi tonight. If he’d had the guts, he might have tried to think of a way to get out of it. But he was too traumatized by his own daring to be able to think rationally.

Aoshi, standing silently and patiently while Ritsu worked on him, could see that the lovely boy’s mind was elsewhere. Ritsu was showing a level of detached professionalism that wasn’t like his normal behavior at all. He studied Ritsu’s bent head; the light brown hair with its reddish highlights falling into the boy’s face as he worked. Aoshi had the sudden urge to push that mane out of the way so that he could look into Ritsu’s large eyes and try to read what he was thinking.

Ritsu was thinking, in a kind of complete horror, that while he wasn’t dead yet, he’d be sure to die of embarrassment and dread before the day was through. He shook at the very prospect of going out on a date with someone as fine as Aoshi. He wasn’t worthy; he was a mere crawling insect, while Aoshi was a beautiful god. It was just too absurd to even think that they could share the same planet together, let alone go to dinner together. His thoughts wound tighter and tighter as panic began to run through his brain like a hamster on a wheel.

Aoshi sensed something of his mental state. He was grateful that he’d talked to Aya yesterday about that fabulous dress for Ritsu to wear to dinner tonight. He’d be stunning in it, and if it helped him to relax even a little bit to be wearing women’s clothes, then that was a very good thing. Ritsu was already so tense that he looked like he’d break in half if Aoshi touched him, and it would only get worse as the evening approached.

Ritsu finished putting in the last pin. The pants were more of a problem than the shirts or jackets, because Aoshi was so tall. He’d have to let out the cuffs on every pair. But both the shirts and the jackets would need only a little bit of work before the show. “You can take that off” he said absently to Aoshi, indicating the shirt. The model carefully removed it, eliciting a gasp from the watching crowd of students.

Aoshi sighed in annoyance. He had an even bigger crowd of gawkers at this fitting than he’d had at the last one, and they were more tenacious, too. Not even his Looks of Death had made them leave, because while he’d changed into the various pairs of pants in the bathroom, he’d merely removed his own sapphire colored silk shirt right there in the classroom to try on the shirts and jackets to be altered. Greedy eyes ran over his naked torso every time he did so, admiring the sculpted muscles of his chest and abdomen. Soft gasps arose every time as the watcher appreciated the pale perfection of his skin. What really got to him weren’t the on-lookers, because he was used to being stared at. No, it was the fact that the one person that he would have liked to have admiring him didn’t even seem to be aware of his half naked state at all.

Sadly for him, Ritsu really wasn’t taking any notice of the gorgeous sight right in front of his very eyes. His mind was too caught up each time with his incessant worries and fears. As Aoshi shrugged back into his own shirt and began to button it, Ritsu didn’t look up from the notepad where he’d written Aoshi’s measurements. He was making notations in the margins in his careful script. Aoshi shook his head in exasperation as he buttoned the last button and pulled his shirt straight with a tug. He ran a hand through his hair before he approached the busily writing designer.

“Ritsu-kun,” he said. He had to repeat it twice more before the boy looked up at him with a blink. “I have to go. I’ll pick you up at 7:00 o’clock. O.k.?”

Ritsu’s face went blank as his mind tried to self-destruct on the spot. His eyes grew huge and glazed, and Aoshi resisted the urge to take him in his arms and rock him as he’d done in the bathroom to calm him. There were too many watchers standing around for him to do that. Reluctantly, he walked away from the frozen Ritsu, hoping that he’d pull himself together enough to be able to get home safely. He’d have stayed and given Ritsu a ride home, but he was due at the studio for a publicity shoot. He’d have to call Aya later and make sure that Ritsu had made it all right.

 

Ritsu eventually came out of his panic state, to find himself pretty much alone in the classroom. The rest of the students had left, and there was only a maintenance man doing some work on one of the machines when Ritsu finally returned to full consciousness. What he thought of a student just standing in his work space like he’d turned to stone was hard to say. He didn’t seem very interested in Ritsu’s sudden return to life, either. He continued to work on the sewing machine as Ritsu stirred and looked around himself rather dazedly.

The clock said that it was after three. Glancing up at it in shock, Ritsu hurried to put his supplies away before bolting out of the building. It was quicker and easier just to walk to his apartment, so he began to walk swiftly along the pavement. He was still so out of it that he almost ran down several people, including an old lady who waved her cane at him and screamed insults at his receding back. Usually, her anger would have provoked a fit of apologies in Ritsu, but today he only continued on his way without even noticing her outrage.

Somehow he made it home, unaware that he’d had three close brushes with death in the heavy afternoon traffic. Once, he blundered across a crosswalk when the light was still green. The resulting screeching of brakes and honking still didn’t catch his attention. He left drivers yelling, cursing, and shaking their fists in his wake.

Once he reached his apartment building, Ritsu automatically climbed the stairs and opened his door with the key around his neck. He stumbled into his apartment, and stood for a short time in the living room staring at nothing. Then he pulled himself together enough to try to make a cup of tea, but he left the water on to boil and forgot about it. He wandered into his bedroom and stood at his open closet door, looking at all the clothes hung up within. There was nothing in there that he could see that would be fit to wear on a date with Aoshi.

But then, he wasn’t fit to go on a date with Aoshi, was he? His hand trembled where it rested on the door frame, as tears swam in his eyes. He felt nausea rising up in the pit of his stomach. All his feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing were rising up in his brain, threatening to swamp him.

He barely managed to save the teapot from burning up. He turned it off and set it on the counter to cool down. Then he went and sat on one of the couches, twisting his hands together, biting his lip. He didn’t have Aoshi’s telephone or cell number, so he couldn’t call him to cancel. He supposed that he could call Aya and get them from him, but Aya would surely try to talk him out of cancelling the date. He was doomed, that was all. Doomed…

His doorbell rang, and he jumped. Panic spurted through him, until he realized that it couldn’t be Aoshi so early. He got to his feet and went to answer the door. When he opened it, he found Aya standing on the other side beaming at him. He carried a garment bag over one shoulder and an embroidered carry-all over the other. 

“Hello, Ri-chan!” Aya cried, sounding as though he hadn’t seen Ritsu for a year instead of having seen him at the shop just yesterday. “I’ve come to help you get ready for your date with Aoshi-kun!”

Ritsu stared at him blankly. What was Aya-san talking about? Aya saw from the look in Ritsu’s eyes that the boy was nearly catatonic. He sighed to himself as he swept into the apartment cheerfully. “Come, come, Ri-chan, I can’t wait to show you what I’ve got!” he said enthusiastically. He grabbed Ritsu’s arm and steered him into the bedroom. The monkey came passively, allowing Aya to draw him into the room and seat him on the edge of the bed.

Aya clicked his tongue at the boy’s unnatural submissiveness. Aoshi had been correct about Ritsu’s reaction to this situation. Hopefully the dress would help his poor little monkey-chan find some courage and calm, or Aoshi really wouldn’t be able to get Ritsu out of the door. Or even out from under the bed, for that matter.

Aya took the garment bag off of his shoulder with a flourish. “Just see what’ve got for you to wear tonight, Ri-chan. Aoshi-kun requested it for you specifically, and asked me to come over and help you get ready. He’s such a nice boy...” Aya unzipped the bag and lovingly extracted the golden dress, shaking it out gently to display it to Ritsu. “What do you think, Ri-chan?”

Ritsu’s mind snapped out of its confused state the moment he saw the dress. His mouth opened and he gaped at the lovely creation that Aya held in his arms as though it were a child. One hand fluttered to his throat as he stared. “For me?” he whispered in awe, unable to tear his eyes away.

Aya nodded happily. “Yes, that’s right. Do you like it, Ri-chan? I made it with you in mind.”

Ritsu was dazzled. The dress was beautiful, and he couldn’t believe that it was meant for him. He got his feet and put out a hand to hesitantly stroke the soft gold lace of the overdress. Ritsu just knew that he wouldn’t be afraid if he could wear something like this on his date with Aoshi. It would be like golden armor, keeping his fears and anxieties at bay.

He looked up at Aya through his bangs. “Do I actually get to wear this?” he asked softly, thinking of how many times people had scolded or scorned him for wearing women’s clothes. 

Aya nodded firmly. “Of course, Ri-chan. Didn’t I tell you that Aoshi-kun specifically asked me for one of my designs for you to wear? He knows what kind of clothing I make, Ri-chan. And he approved of this dress personally for you. He said you’d look lovely in it. And he’s right, of course.”

Ritsu was astonished. When he thought of Aoshi approving of this wonderful dress for him, startling warmth ran through him. It meant that Aoshi didn’t mind that he felt more comfortable wearing women’s clothing. Except for cousin Aya, no one had ever just allowed Ritsu to be himself before. They always wanted him to change - to stop wearing women’s clothes, to stop apologizing, to be calmer and less excitable. But what they didn’t seem to understand was that one of the ways that Ritsu became calmer was by wearing women’s clothing instead of his own. But apparently Aoshi understood…

Aya couldn’t contain a smile at the expression on Ritsu’s face. Wonder, amazement, and total happiness chased each other across his sweet features, and his eyes shone. Aya blessed the instinct that had led him to think of Aoshi when Ritsu came to him with a request for a model. Aoshi was totally perfect for his little monkey-chan. If anyone could understand and accept Ritsu, it was Aoshi.

“Now go and take a shower, Ri-chan,” Aya commanded Ritsu. The boy obediently did as he was told, still rather shell-shocked. Aya carefully lay the dress out on the bedspread, and put the carry all down next to it. He opened the bag and began to pull out all of the supplies that he’d brought with him.

When Ritsu emerged from the bathroom, his damp hair hanging down his back and a towel wrapped around his slim waist, he found Aya sitting on the bed waiting patiently for him. The snake had one leg crossed over the other, and one of his elegant hands rested on his knee. The other played with the thick braid he’d put his silvery hair into. When he spied Ritsu, he smiled at the young monkey cheerfully.

“Ahh, nice and clean, Ri-chan. Dry your hair,” he pointed to the hair dryer that he’d plugged in next to the bed.

Ritsu nodded and came to sit on the edge of the bed. He picked up the hair dryer and turned it on, running it above his wet hair slowly. Aya sat and waited with surprising patience, humming to himself dreamily as he watched Ritsu dry his hair. Aya was having a fantasy in which Hatori bowed down at his feet and declared him to be an utter genius. “I was totally mistaken, Aya” he imagined Hatori saying. “You were totally right. When it comes to romance, you are a Master.” It was a wonderful dream. While Aya knew that it was also a totally unrealistic one, since Hatori was more likely to jump out of a plane without wearing a parachute than to say something like that to him, he still enjoyed imagining it.

When Ritsu’s hair was dry, he powdered his skin with perfumed talcum powder. Aya painted his toes and fingernails with a deep rose pink polish. Then he dabbed a soft floral perfume on his neck and wrists. Once Ritsu’s nails were dry, he slipped on a satin chemise. Then Aya helped him into the exquisite gold lace gown, doing the hooks up the back with nimble fingers. Ritsu sat on the edge of the bed again to put on a pair of knee high panty hose, and then slipped his feet into the low heeled gold beaded pumps that Aya had brought to go with the dress. There was also a beaded clutch purse that went along with it, but Aya left it on the bed for now.

Ritsu remained sitting on the edge of the bed as Aya expertly made up his face. They’d done this often enough at the shop when Ritsu was showing off Aya’s designs to the customers. Ritsu’s large eyes looked even larger, and quite mysterious, once Aya applied medium rose-brown eye shadow to their lids along with a faint dusting of gold. His lips were painted a soft rose to match his nails.

Last but not least, Aya gently brushed out Ritsu’s long hair and pulled it back into an elegant chignon at the back of his neck. He fastened it up with two hair clasps that looked like flowers, their petals done in citrines and clear crystals. He left two tendrils of hair to fall free around Ritsu’s face. Then he fastened a delicate silver and citrine necklace around Ritsu’s neck, and put a pair of clip-on ear bobs on his ears. 

Aya stepped back to look at his creation. A golden beauty sat on the edge of the bed and stared back up at him. Her light auburn hair hung in a smooth coil at the nape of her neck, and her huge, cinnamon-colored eyes peered shyly up at her cousin through long dark lashes. Her lovely mouth smiled a little. Aya was awed by his own talent.

“How do I look?” Ritsu asked softly, his voice tremulous.

Aya clapped his hands together lightly. “Beautiful. Exquisite. Come and see, Ri-chan,” he put out a hand and drew Ritsu to his feet, leading him over to the full length mirror that Aya had given Ritsu as a present for Christmas last year.

Ritsu stood in front of the mirror, staring at himself. His mouth opened in shock, for he couldn’t quite believe his eyes. He didn’t recognize the person looking back at him. She was indeed beautiful, and she held herself upright with an elegant poise. This was not nervous, anxious, worthless Sohma Ritsu. This was a confident, lovely person who wouldn’t be afraid to go out with someone like Fujihara Aoshi. Ritsu took a deep breath and smiled at his own reflection.

Aya stood behind him, seeing the changes come over his young cousin. He beamed, totally pleased. He couldn’t wait for Aoshi to see this golden vision. Ahh, romance, he sighed to himself happily. There was nothing better, in his opinion. 

He urged Ritsu out of the bedroom and into the living room after awhile, seating him on one of the couches with care so that he didn’t wrinkle the dress. Aya then bounced into the kitchen to make some tea. It was after 5:30, so they had less than an hour and a half to wait before Aoshi arrived to pick up Ritsu.

They drank tea and chatted while they waited, and Ritsu didn’t apologize once. Confidence had made him serene, and he sat very straight and gently stroked the material of his skirt with his long slim fingers. Aya was in raptures both at the success of his plan ands how well Aoshi’s suggestion was going. Darling Ritsu had never looked better, and he was as relaxed as Aya had ever seen him. If anyone had told him that Ri-chan would be going out on a date with someone he’d barely known for a week, Aya wouldn’t have believed it. It had taken him months of coaxing and encouraging to get Ritsu to model his clothing for the customers. Aoshi was truly a miracle worker.

The door bell rang, making Ritsu jump a bit. While he was feeling far less nervous than he normally would, now that zero hour had arrived he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of anxiety. Aya leaped up to answer the door, and pulled it wide with a flourish to reveal Aoshi standing on the other side.

“Aoshi-kun! How splendid you look!” said Aya admiringly. Aoshi was wearing a tux, and he looked marvelously handsome and elegant in it. 

“Aya-san. You’re lovely as usual," Aoshi replied, taking Aya’s hand and kissing it.

“Flatterer,” Aya giggled. “Come in and see my little Ri-chan. He’s so beautiful.” He dragged Aoshi inside the apartment by his wrist.

Ritsu peeped up at Aoshi nervously through his lashes. How handsome the model looked! The severe black and white of the tuxedo suited his coloring perfectly. Ritsu stared admiringly, his breath catching in his throat.

Aoshi stopped dead when he saw Ritsu. He let out a soft gasp as he gazed at the beauty sitting so demurely on Ritsu’s couch. She met his eyes shyly, her slender elegant hands smoothing the material of the fabulous golden dress a tad nervously. Aoshi felt a surge of desire rush through him. He wanted to feast on that mouth, and lovely as the dress was, he wanted nothing more than to rip it off that slim pale body. He wanted to pull that elegant hair-do down and bury his hands in those silky tresses. Instead, he took a deep breath and fought himself back under control again. “You look beautiful, Ritsu-kun” he said with total sincerity and admiration in his voice. 

Ritsu’s chest swelled with pride. Aoshi thought he was beautiful! His heart sang. “Arigatou, Aoshi-san,” he whispered. “You look very handsome,” he added, running his eyes over Aoshi’s body in innocent admiration. Aoshi nearly groaned at the affect this had on him.

“Shouldn’t you be going?” Aya broke in, since it looked as though both of them might just spend the rest of the night staring at each other.

Aoshi snapped out of his lust-induced trance at Aya’s words. “Yes, we should. Ritsu-kun?” he extended his hand to Ritsu, who shyly placed his own atop it. Aoshi gently drew Ritsu to his feet, getting the full affect of the sweet perfume Ritsu was wearing. 'Oh, boy, this is going to be a long night,' he thought with a shudder. 'But I can do this!' 

Still holding Ritsu’s hand, Aoshi placed his other arm around the boy’s slender waist. Ritsu jumped a little at his touch, but he didn’t object as Aoshi steered him out the door. Behind them, Aya stood in the apartment with his hands behind his back, humming a victory song and grinning from ear to ear. Some days, Aya thought triumphantly, are very good days, indeed.


	6. Chapter 6

To Ritsu, the next few hours were like a dream. Aoshi helped him into his car, which had the top up and the windows closed. The windows were tinted, a necessity for someone as well known as Aoshi. Aoshi wanted no one on the street to catch a glimpse of Ritsu, for they would either realize he was a man dressed as a woman, or they’d want to know who the mysterious beauty was who was dating Fujihara Aoshi. Either scenario would spell disaster for Ritsu, as the fragile boy wouldn’t be able to handle the stalkerazzi. Aoshi was determined to protect him at all costs.

On the drive over to the restaurant, neither of them said much. Strangely, they didn’t seem to need to. It was if they’d known each other forever, and this was just a reintroduction between two people who’d been apart for awhile. It was a surprisingly comfortable silence, the only tension coming from the sexual awareness that each had for the other. Even innocent Ritsu felt as though the interior of the car were suddenly too warm and close, because his sharp nose could smell Aoshi’s cologne, and the slightly musky scent of his arousal, although he had no idea that that was what the scent was. All he knew was that Aoshi’s closeness made him feel giddy and strange.

La Cote D’Mer was a four star French restaurant that catered to a very exclusive clientele. Discretion was assured, along with the fine food and wine. Aoshi pulled into the covered parking garage built onto the restaurant itself, and was checked off a list by one of the hulking security guards who kept the members of the press at bay. He was waved through, and he parked in an empty space near the door leading into the restaurant proper. The garage was already half full of expensive foreign cars, mostly German in make.

Aoshi got out and came around to help Ritsu out of the car. Clutching the beaded handbag like a talisman, Ritsu accepted Aoshi’s arm. It wasn’t Aoshi himself that was making him feel nervous this time, but the thought of walking into a public place dressed as he was. He ran a hand down his golden armor, trying to work up his courage. Aoshi, sensing what he was feeling, gave him a moment to try to pull himself together.

He noticed that the security guards were eyeing Ritsu approvingly, in that masculine way that guys did when they saw a pretty girl. Aoshi was simultaneously glad that Ritsu could pull off looking like a beautiful woman rather than a young man, and prodded by a sharp, jealous possessiveness that made him want to tell the gawkers to look elsewhere. Ritsu was HIS!

At last, Ritsu tightened his hand on Aoshi’s arm to signal that he was ready. Aoshi led him through the door into the restaurant, and down a narrow passage done in red-flocked wallpaper with crystal accents. They went through an archway into the main room of the restaurant, an elegant establishment boasting carved hardwood paneling and deep red wallpaper with gold accents. A rich dark red carpet covered the floor, and a massive gold and crystal chandelier cast soft lighting down over the room. Flourishing plants grew in heavy terra cotta planters. These were strategically placed so that many of the small tables were hidden from view from the rest of the room. 

Ritsu was briefly frozen into immobility by the rich opulence of his surroundings. He nearly panicked when a slender Caucasian man in a tux approached them, and only Aoshi’s hand on his elbow prevented his precipitous flight. “Fujihara-san!” exclaimed the maitre d’, sounding sincerely pleased to see him. “It has been some time since you were here last. And you’ve brought a lovely young lady with you. Tres Bien. Elle est belle et jolie, non?” his eyes looked admiringly at Ritsu’s face and Aoshi smiled. 

He answered the maitre d’ in French. “Oui, ‘she’ is. Do you have my usual table, Francois?”

“But of course! Right this way,” the beaming man led them down the room to one of the more discreet tables, a place where they could see most of the room but not necessarily be seen themselves. Aoshi seated a slightly trembling Ritsu, his hands gentle as he guided him onto the chair. He squeezed Ritsu’s shoulder with one hand, trying to calm him with a touch. The maitre d’ said something else to Aoshi in French, and left them. The model sat down across from Ritsu, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

“What?” Aoshi asked.

“Y-you speak French?” Somehow this didn’t really surprise Ritsu. It was just another sign of Aoshi’s perfection.

Aoshi nodded. “I picked it up because I’ve been to Paris so often for photo shoots. I’ve also learned English, some German, and a smattering of Chinese and Italian. When you go everywhere, you just kind of pick things up. And I’ve always been good with languages.”

Ritsu looked wistful. “I wish I could travel,” he confessed sadly. “I’ve never been to a foreign country.”

“Never?”Aoshi was surprised. Ritsu shook his head. “Then I’ll definitely have to take you to Paris at least. You’ll love it.”

Ritsu blushed becomingly at Aoshi’s statement. A wild image of himself and Aoshi walking hand-in-hand along the Seine flashed through his head. He thrust it away. That was just a pipe dream. Someone as wonderful as Aoshi would never truly want to go anywhere with some one like him.

Aoshi, unerringly reading Ritsu’s thoughts from his expressive face, began to describe some of the places he’d traveled to. He wanted to see which one’s Ritsu responded most strongly to, because he was determined to take Ritsu to each and every one of them. Ritsu was so fascinated by his stories that he didn’t even jump when the waiter appeared with the wine list. Aoshi declined to choose any of them, because he didn’t generally drink alcohol, and he didn’t think that Ritsu should have any. While it might loosen the nervous boy up, he suspected that Ritsu had little experience with any kind of alcohol. All they needed was for Ritsu to get tipsy. While he would have enjoyed watching something like that thoroughly, drunken people were often unpredictable.

Ritsu accepted the menu that the waiter handed him, his face registering puzzlement as he scanned it. It was mostly in French, and the Japanese characters that were printed on it were for dishes he’d never even heard of. “Don’t worry,” Aoshi assured him, seeing his perplexity. “I’ll order for both of us, if you don’t mind”

Ritsu shook his head. He didn’t mind at all. He trusted Aoshi to order something that he’d like. Aoshi smiled at him, before he proceeded to open his own menu and scan it thoughtfully. When the waiter re-appeared, Aoshi ordered their meals in French. After he’d gone, Aoshi sat back and idly ran his eyes over the room to see who else was eating there. He saw three politicians he recognized(two who were with women who weren’t their wives, and the third practically snuggling up to a man); a famous singer conversing with a well-known movie director, a small group of actors from a popular television drama, the members of a hot JPop group, and a couple of writers apparently talking shop. And those were just the people he knew on sight.

His eyes came to rest on one table across the way. The short, bristly mane of blonde-tipped hair on the man sitting with his back to him was familiar. That head was bent toward his dinner companion as he spoke. Aoshi grinned when he saw who his friend was dining with. Trust Yuuji to make a move on such a famous movie star. Aoshi hadn’t even known that the actor was gay. Yuuji not only had the best gaydar in Japan (or maybe the entire Eastern hemisphere), but he was cocky to a fault. His bowl-em-over charm technique hadn’t failed him yet, and from the mesmerized look on the actor’s face, his batting average was still pretty much perfect.

“What’s so funny?” Ritsu asked softly.

Aoshi dragged his eyes away from his friend. “Oh, I just saw a friend. See that guy over there with his back to us? Do you see who he’s with?”

Ritsu turned to look in the direction Aoshi indicated. His eyes widened when he saw the famous movie star, who was now holding hands across the table with his companion. “Is that…?” he squeaked.

“Hai, and the man he’s with is a good friend of mine. He’s a photographer I met on a photo shoot. He’s a total player, and I’ve always been amazed by the people he manages to seduce. I didn’t even know that that actor was gay. But Yuuji-san always knows.”

Ritsu blushed faintly when Aoshi mentioned the word ‘gay’. Not that he didn’t know about cousin Aya, or cousin Shigure for that matter. But it was different when you yourself were starting to feel stirrings of desire for someone of the same sex. The whole thing was throwing him into a state of confusion. He stared down at the linen tablecloth, trying to control his reaction.

As though he felt the eyes on his back, the man in question turned in his chair to scan the room behind him. Ritsu looked up in time to catch a glimpse of a strongly handsome face, with a wide mobile mouth that curled up at the edges, and a bold nose. His hair wasn’t dyed pure blonde, but was mink brown with blonde tips. The way it was cut made him resemble a hedgehog. A gold cross dangled from one ear, glinting as it swung and caught the light.

Aoshi raised a hand to catch his friend’s attention. The wide mouth split into a wicked grin when his eyes spied the tall model. He turned to say something to his dinner companion, then got up and strolled over to their table. His hands were in the pockets of his black jacket, which he wore over a collarless white shirt. His darkly-tanned skin was a sharp contrast to Aoshi’s pale skin, as the two shook hands. Ritsu judged him to be about thirty or so, a few years older than cousin Aya.

“Aoshi-kun!” rumbled the man in a deep, slightly harsh, voice. He sounded like he smoked too much. “Great to see you! I just got back from Milan a few days ago. Was going to call you, but as you see I got distracted.” He waved a hand back in the direction of his table.

Aoshi smiled. “So I see, Yuuji-san. Should I even ask how you managed that?”

Yuuji snorted “Pure dumb luck. I met him on the plane. Turns out he wanted your number, Aoshi-kun, when he found out I was a friend of yours. He has a crush on you. But I lied and told him you were taken,” his eyes strayed to Ritsu. “Or was it a lie? Who’s this? And since when did you take up dating women, Aoshi-kun? Even one as lovely as this?”

Aoshi shook his head “Sohma Ritsu, meet Murosaki Yuuji.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Ritsu whispered, trembling under the sharp blue-grey gaze that seemed to pin him to his seat.

Yuuji’s eyebrows shot up, as he took a closer look at the ‘woman’ sitting across from Aoshi. “Wow,” he remarked. “Where’d you find him, Aoshi-kun? And where can I get one?” Ritsu blushed darkly under his admiring look, lowering his eyes shyly.

“Down, boy,”Aoshi said rebukingly. “You’ve stolen a couple of my dates in the past, but you can’t have this one.” 'He’s mine,' was the silent addendum, as Aoshi leveled a warning glance at his friend.

Yuuji raised a hand placatingly. “Relax; I’m not trying to horn in on your action. I just came over to say hello. I’ll get back to my new friend, now. Good luck, Aoshi-kun,” he said with a wink at his friend, and a last glance at the golden beauty Aoshi’d snared. He left as casually as he’d come, to rejoin his date at their table.

“He seemed…nice,” Ritsu said, watching the man walk away.

“That’s not a word I’d use in conjunction with Yuuji-san” Aoshi, commented dryly. “Although it would probably tickle him pink to know that there’s someone who thinks he’s nice. I think you’d find that none of his old boyfriends would agree with you.”

“Why?” Ritsu asked, genuinely curious. 

“Because Yuuji is the love-em and leave-em type. He can be a total bastard, when he wants to be. He goes through men like they’re chewing gum. Still, he never lies to any of them. He tells them from the start that he’s not looking to settle down, just to have a bit of fun with no strings attached. His honesty is one of the reasons that I like him, in spite of his personality defects.”

“Oh,” Ritsu cast a last considering glance at the back of Yuuji’s head. “Maybe he just needs to find the right person?” he said thoughtfully.

Aoshi raised his eyebrows. “Do you think so? What kind of person do you think could tame someone like Yuuji-san?”

Ritsu shook his head doubtfully. “I don’t know, really. Maybe someone who doesn’t need him?”

Aoshi frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, you said that he tells everyone he dates that he isn’t looking for a long-term relationship, yet you also said that most of them hate him. So they must have thought that he’d fall in love with them anyway, even after he told them that. Perhaps they were too needy, and asked too much of him. So if he found someone who doesn’t need him, he might decide that he needs that person instead. I mean…” Ritsu trailed off timidly, not sure how to say what he meant.

“You may have a point,” Aoshi replied thoughtfully. “A lot of his past boyfriends HAVE been awfully clingy. Yuuji hates that. Maybe he just needs to meet someone different.”

He changed the subject then, and they talked about more general subjects for awhile. Ritsu was surprised to find that Aoshi shared similar tastes in music, books, and movies with him. There were only a few things that they didn’t agree on, and Ritsu didn’t even notice when he actually began to argue with Aoshi over the subject of musicals, which Ritsu liked and Aoshi loathed.

“But Westside Story is very romantic!” Ritsu protested. Aoshi grimaced.

“It is not ‘romantic,’” he growled distastefully. “It’s a bunch of idiots jumping around pretending to be big, bad gang members. The songs are atrocious, especially that last one. I mean, the guy’s dead, and all that that stupid girl can do is sit there and sing about ‘somewhere a place for us’! There’s no place for them! He’s dead!”

“But it’s symbolic!” Ritsu cried, defending one of his favorite musicals whole-heartedly.

“Symbolic my Aunt Noriko. It’s just stupid,” Aoshi replied in disgust. He sighed and shook his head. "I can see that we’re never going to agree about this, so let’s just agree to disagree.”

“All right,” Ritsu said. “And I still like Westside Story!”

“Just don’t watch it around me,” Aoshi said.

Ritsu didn’t point out that there would probably never be a time when that would be a problem. He was simply enjoying himself too much. Their food arrived then, anyway, and he was grateful to see that Aoshi hadn’t ordered him anything too exotic. No snails, frog’s legs, or goose liver pate. The tender cuts of beef were smothered in a wonderful sauce, and there were stalks of perfectly done asparagus in butter. Aoshi himself was eating escargot, cracking the snail’s shells and dipping them in a butter sauce. The sight made Ritsu shudder, so he concentrated on his own food.

For dessert there was a heavenly chocolate mousse. Ritsu adored it, for it was decadent and rich enough to satisfy his sensual nature. He ate it with pleasure, unaware that his date was sitting with his eyes riveted on the rose-pink mouth as the spoon slid between his lips each time he took a bite. After the last bite, he delicately licked the spoon clean. Aoshi bit back a groan at the sight, trying to tear his eyes away from the delicious torture, but unable to. 

“Mmm,” Ritsu said happily, and Aoshi shuddered and closed his eyes.

“Are you all right?” Ritsu asked in concern, for Aoshi rather looked as though he were in pain. 

“Yesss,” hissed Aoshi, somehow pulling himself back together. “I’m fine, Ritsu-kun”

Ritsu looked at him doubtfully. He could see beads of sweat on Aoshi’s brow, and it wasn’t that hot in the room. Aoshi forced himself to smile naturally at Ritsu, while ignoring the almost painful erection that he’d developed. “Did you enjoy your dinner, Ritsu-kun?”

Ritsu nodded and smiled in return. “It was wonderful, Aoshi-san. Arigatou.”

“My pleasure,” Aoshi replied truthfully. “I suppose we’d better go” he continued reluctantly. He didn’t want the evening to end, but Ritsu had classes in the morning and he didn’t want to keep him out too late. Plus, he wanted to take this whole dating thing slowly. 

Ritsu was disappointed, as well, but he hid it as best he could. “Hai, I suppose so,” he said rather sadly. 

Aoshi got to his feet helped Ritsu to rise from his chair. Ritsu automatically put his hand on Aoshi’s arm as though it belonged there by right. They walked together down the room, and Ritsu noticed that Yuuji-san and his date had already left. 

The maitre d’ discreetly took the gold credit card that Aoshi produced. “I hope you enjoyed your dinner, Aoshi-san,” he said.

“Yes, very much. It was excellent as usual, Francois.”

The Frenchman beamed. “Wonderful. You must return again soon, Aoshi-san, and bring your lovely companion with you.” He bowed a little to a bemused Ritsu.

“I just might do that,” Aoshi agreed as the maitre d’ handed him back the credit card.

“Excellent. Bon Nuite, Monsieur, Mademoiselle.”

They left the restaurant and got into Aoshi’s car. Again the drive to Ritsu’s apartment was mostly silent, although this time on both sides there was a twinge of regret. Neither one wanted the evening to end. Once he pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building, Aoshi got out and came around to open Ritsu’s door for him.

He helped Ritsu out of the car, and stood looking down at him by the light of the nearby street lamp. Ritsu felt a funny fluttering in his stomach at the expression on Aoshi’s face. His mouth opened in a gasp, and Aoshi couldn’t help himself. He reached over and grasped Ritsu’s shoulders, then bent his head and softly kissed those sweet lips that had been tempting him all night.

Ritsu was stunned. Aoshi’s lips were warm and soft, pressing over his own in a way that made him shiver. Instinctively he pressed closer to Aoshi’s hard body and opened his mouth wider. All nervousness and anxiety had fled, and he moaned as Aoshi’s tongue gently invaded his mouth. Aoshi’s hands ended up in Ritsu’s hair, cradling his head, and his fingers ran through the silky locks. They disarranged Aya’s careful work, loosening the coil of hair so that it half fell around Ritsu’s face. 

It took all of the formidable will power that he possessed to make Aoshi finally pull away from the embrace. Ritsu was panting in his arms, his eyes huge and dreamy. His cheeks were stained with color that didn’t come from blusher, and his lips were swollen from Aoshi’s kisses. Aoshi groaned when he saw Ritsu’s face, wanting nothing more than to push Ritsu back against his car, hike up that dress and ravage the sweet young thing in his arms right here and now…

Instead, he gently pulled Ritsu upright and guided him to his door. The poor little monkey was still incoherent from their kiss, and his brain seemed to have short circuited. When Aoshi knocked at the door, Aya opened it with a dramatic flourish. He instantly noticed Ritsu’s smudged lipstick, loosened hair, and dreamy expression. He grinned slyly and winked at Aoshi.

The model gave Aya a cool look in return, not wanting to encourage him. “Come in, Ri-chan, and tell me all about your evening!” Aya said, taking Ritsu’s elbow from Aoshi and steering him over to one of the couches. Aoshi followed behind them and closed the door.

Aya got Ritsu settled on the couch. “There, now, Ri-chan, that’s better,” he sat down next to his young cousin, and waved Aoshi to sit on the smaller couch set diagonally to the first. 

Aya tried to coax Ritsu into talking, but soon gave it up as hopeless. Aoshi took it upon himself to tell Aya all about the date instead, since he didn’t want Aya to bother Ritsu about it in his state. Aya listened with interest and delight to every detail, since he felt personally responsible for the success of the evening. Aoshi indulged him, since it was true that Aya had not only introduced them, but he had also been a willing accomplice to Aoshi’s plans for tonight.

When he was finished(he glossed over the kiss, which made Aya give him an ironic look)Aya got Ritsu to follow him tamely into the bedroom to remove the dress and make-up. Ritsu stood in the middle of the room as Aya unhooked the dress and pulled it up over his head carefully. He returned it to the garment bag after perusing it for any damage or stains that he might have to fix. But Ritsu had been very careful, and he put it away with a satisfied air. 

As Aya was using make-up remover on his face, Ritsu spoke for the first time in almost half an hour. “Cousin Aya?”

“Yes, Ri-chan?” Aya paused in his efforts to look Ritsu in the eye.

“You’ve been kissed a lot, haven’t you?”

Somewhat taken aback, Aya pondered how to answer this pointed question. “A fair amount, yes. Why do you ask?”

“I-I was just wondering if everyone who kissed you made you feel - funny. Warm, and kind of tingly.”

Aya almost laughed, but that would have hurt Ritsu’s feelings. “Not everyone, no. But there have been a few who made me feel that way. The special ones.”

“Does Cousin Shigure make you feel that way?”

Aya almost dropped the make-up sponge in shock. Ritsu always seemed so innocent, and yet…

“Oh, yes. But Shigure and I have a special kind of love for each other. We’re closer than siblings, in many ways,” Aya thought sadly that that was especially true of him, since his relationship with his brother Yuki still wasn’t very good.

“Why do you ask, Ritsu?” he said at last into the meditative silence that had fallen. “What’s all this about kissing?” he pretty much suspected, but he wanted to see what Ritsu would say.

Ritsu flushed slightly. “Well..I…he…Aoshi-san kissed me,” he blurted out. “It was…” he trailed off again, dropping his eyes. “Wonderful” he whispered. Aya heard his soft confession, and gave a little bounce of joy that Ritsu didn’t see.

“So you liked it?” Aya asked probingly.

Ritsu nodded a little. “Hai.”

“Would you like him to kiss you again?” Aya knew he might be pushing his young cousin too far, but he couldn’t help himself.

Ritsu gave a small gasp. “H-hai,” he hung his head in shame over his own desires, his partially unbound hair falling forward to hide his face like a veil.

“Well, that’s good, since I’m positive that Aoshi-kun will want to kiss you again sometime soon.”

Ritsu’s head jerked up, his eyes wide. “B-but…Why would he want to do that?” he stuttered. “I-I’m not…”

'Good enough for him?' Aya finished in his head as the boy trailed off again with a stricken look on his face. 'Oh, Ritsu. How you do underestimate yourself.' He sat down on the bed and waved a hand to indicate that Ritsu should do the same. The young monkey sat next to him, his shoulders hunched, his hands twisting in his lap.

Aya laid his hand on one of the hunched shoulders. “Ri-chan, you’ve got to stop this. You’re not worthless. You’re wonderful. I can see that, and so can Aoshi-kun. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you. He likes you, Ri-chan, and you do him a great disservice when you deny your own worth. Are you saying that Aoshi-kun has such bad taste that he’d like someone who is worthless and a waste of his time?”

“No!” Ritsu cried in shock. Aoshi was perfect!

Aya nodded decisively. “You see? If you think that Aoshi-kun can do no wrong, and he’s picked you, then there must be more to you than you think. Correct?” 

It was a strange, corkscrew kind of logic, but it still made sense to Ritsu. “I-I guess so,” he said.

“Yokatta. Whenever you’re feeling down on yourself, perhaps you can remember that. Aoshi-kun would not waste his time on someone who was worthless. I know him well enough to say that.”

“How did you meet him, Aya-san?”

Aya smiled and leaned back a bit on the bed. “Oh, I literally ran into him one day, about five years ago. I had just opened my little shop the year before, and I needed a model to show off my clothes. This was before I hired Mine, you understand, and I was in a bit of a bind. I was walking down the street, worrying, and not paying attention to where I was going. I crashed into someone, and I hit him with enough force that the leather satchel he was carrying flew out of his hands and fell into the road.

It burst open, and papers flew everywhere. Turns out I’d run head on into a courier who was delivering some important financial documents. I was dismayed, of course, and I helped him to retrieve them as best I could. But some of them had fallen into the gutter and were damaged. I started to apologize profusely for my carelessness, when I got a good look at the young man under the cap. He took my breath away. I knew that he’d be perfect as a model for my clothes.

I offered him the job right then and there, but he turned me down. Still, I gave him my card just in case. And a good thing, too, because the courier company promptly fired him over that little incident. He called in in my shop a few days later, and I was delighted that he wasn’t put off about wearing women’s clothes. Of course, he’s so tall and masculine looking, in spite of his beauty, that he wasn’t the best model I’ve ever had for my designs. But many of my customers were entranced by him. He got asked out by dozens of them, but he turned them all down.”

“Why?” Ritsu interjected, fascinated.

Aya shook his head. “Aoshi-kun is very picky. Those people wanted him for his face, not him. He may be a professional model, but he doesn’t trade on his good looks. Sometimes, in fact, I think he finds his beauty more of a hindrance than anything else. Especially where romance is concerned. Few take the time to look past his face to see the glorious person underneath.”

Ritsu thought about that. It was true that he’d been dazzled by Aoshi’s looks when he first saw him - but each time after that he’d found something else to notice about the model. Aoshi was kind, gentle, funny, compassionate, intelligent and quietly charming. Oh, how Ritsu longed to tell him that he saw so much more in him than just his looks! But he lacked the courage.

Seeing Ritsu’s shoulders begin to droop again under the weight of his thoughts, Aya patted him gently. “Don’t worry, Ri-chan. Aoshi-kun knows that you’re interested in him for more than his face.”

Ritsu’s face flamed, but he said “Really?” eagerly.

“Of course. He likes the fact that you don’t fawn on him like so many other people do. It’s a refreshing change for him, I’m sure.”

“Oh” pleased, Ritsu squirmed a bit. Aya hid a smile. “Shall I tell you the rest of the story?” he asked. Ritsu nodded.

“Well, Aoshi-kun caught the eye of one of my best customers, who just happened to be a talent agent. He saw Aoshi’s potential right away, and offered him a contract. Aoshi-kun’s quite shrewd, and he knew he was being offered a good deal. So he left me for the wider world, and I’ve followed his career with interest ever since. We’ve remained friends, and he recommends my shop to friends and colleagues occasionally. When you asked me to find you a model for your show, Ri-chan, I wanted the best for you. So I called Aoshi-kun. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“Hmmm,” Ritsu replied. He wasn’t as naïve about some things as everyone assumed he was, and he knew his cousin Aya pretty well. But the truth was that Aoshi hadn’t been forced into liking him. He just did. It made Ritsu feel warm to know that Aoshi liked him. He knew that he liked Aoshi. A lot. So he could forgive any matchmaking attempts on Aya’s part.

“Well, now, let’s get you out of the rest of these clothes and into something a bit more comfortable, Ri-chan, and then we’ll go and say good-night to Aoshi-kun. Perhaps he’ll want to give you a goodnight kiss.” Aya said, then laughed at Ritsu’s warm blush.

Aoshi looked up when Aya and Ritsu returned to the living room a few minutes later. Ritsu was wearing a pair of gray slacks and a plain white shirt, his hair pulled back into a tail. His face looked young and fresh without the make-up. Aoshi found that he liked this look on Ritsu just as much as he had the glamorous, elegant one it had replaced. Ritsu smiled shyly at him as he got to his feet.

Aya tactfully (for him) said “I’ll be going now, Ri-chan. I’ll see you tomorrow,” without further ado, he took himself off out the door. 

The two men simply looked at each other. For once, Ritsu met Aoshi’s eyes without nervousness, and the glow in his gaze made the model catch his breath. He took a step forward, then another, as though pulled forward by what he saw in Ritsu’s expressive eyes. Although he trembled a bit, Ritsu stood his ground as Aoshi approached him. A soft gasp escaped his lips as strong, long-fingered hands settled on his upper arms, and Aoshi bent his head to capture Ritsu’s sweet lips in another soul-stirring kiss.

Aoshi’s mouth slanted gently over Ritsu’s, drawing him down into a vortex of desire and need that left him a limp and quivering mass in Aoshi’s arms. Breathless moans escaped him, turning Aoshi on even more. He could have plundered Ritsu’s mouth all night, but he finally reluctantly pulled away. Ritsu stared dreamily up at him, his lips swollen from Aoshi’s kiss and his cheeks flushed. It was the hardest thing that Aoshi had ever done, to step back and disengage himself from the sweet boy.

“What?” Ritsu said in confusion. “Why did you stop, Aoshi-san?”

Aoshi nearly groaned aloud. “I didn’t want to, Ritsu-kun, but you’re young and inexperienced. I’m afraid that if I continued, I’d end up dragging you off into the bedroom and having sex with you.” 

Ritsu shuddered at Aoshi’s words. “W-what’s wrong with that, Aoshi-san?” he asked in a near whisper.

Aoshi’s eyes widened. “Umm…nothing, really. It’s just that I want to get to know you a bit more before we take this relationship to the next level. What I mean is - I want to keep seeing you, Ritsu-kun. May I?”

Ritsu, who still hadn’t quite come down from the euphoria of the kiss they’d shared, had to think about it for a second. Aoshi wanted to keep dating him? That was a bigger surprise than the fact that Aoshi wanted to have sex with him. Ritsu supposed that he could have stood it if the model had only wanted to have sex with him - but Aoshi wanted to date him as well? Wanted, perhaps, to be his boyfriend? A warm glow spread through Ritsu’s veins. He discarded all thoughts that he wasn’t worthy of such attention. He remembered Aya’s words from earlier, and nodded shyly.

Aoshi felt like whooping aloud. Instead, he reached out and took one of Ritsu’s hands in his own. He lifted it to his lips and softly kissed Ritsu’s knuckles. Ritsu’s face flamed at the gentle caress, but he didn’t try to draw his hand out of Aoshi’s.

“You’ve made me very happy, Ritsu-kun” Aoshi murmured. Ritsu quivered at his words. “I have something special planned for our next date. I won’t tell you what it is. I want it to be a surprise. I can’t do it tomorrow, because I have to work. How about Sunday? Are you free?”

Ritsu nodded. He didn’t work in Aya’s shop on Sundays, Mondays, and Wednesdays.

“Good. I’ll pick you up at two, then. Wear practical clothes.” Aoshi finally released Ritsu’s hand.

Ritsu walked Aoshi to his door. He felt a pang of disappointment that he was leaving, although he was already looking forward to Sunday. Aoshi opened the door and turned to look at him once more. “Goodnight, Ritsu-kun” He said. “I’ll be counting the hours until I get to see you again.” He touched Ritsu’s cheek caressingly with his long fingers, before he went out the door.

Ritsu put up his hand to his cheek where Aoshi had touched him. Unreal as this evening had seemed to be, the lingering warmth of Aoshi’s fingers assured him that it had, indeed, happened. A sweet, uncomplicatedly happy smile spread across Ritsu’s face. For the first time in his relatively short life, Ritsu felt things that he’d never felt before. Wanted. Desired. Special. It was a heady experience, especially for the oft neglected and unloved young monkey. For once, the curse he carried didn’t seem so onerous. Maybe, just maybe, even the Juunishi could be allowed to find happiness like everyone else.

For Sohma Ritsu, hope was a painful but beautiful companion when he went to bed that night. Every dream he had was about a certain model, who filled his every waking thought and invaded his sleeping mind like a conqueror. 

 

A/N: Just for you, Kuro. And yes, i'm putting everything up in reading order. -DL


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoshi and Ritsu are getting closer.

Ritsu was sitting on the stairs to his apartment when Aoshi drove up. It was a beautiful day, the sky a dazzling blue overhead, broken up only by a few fluffy white clouds. A sweet spring wind lifted tendrils of Ritsu’s auburn hair, that were escaping from the tail he’d pulled it up into behind his head. The young monkey simply sat enjoying the day, smiling a little as he lifted his face to the sun.

That was how Aoshi saw him when he got out of his car. He drew in a sharp breath at the sight of that sweet young face, its expression abnormally peaceful. Ritsu was sitting with his hands on his knees, and he had dressed in a pair of rather worn jeans, leather hiking boots, and a green, long-sleeved shirt that suited his coloring. Aoshi smiled as he walked up to the stairs and looked up at his sun-loving date.

“Ritsu-kun,” he said quietly. Ritsu’s eyes popped open at the sound of his now familiar voice, and a gently happy smile curved his lips, as his cinnamon-colored eyes came to rest on Aoshi.

“Good afternoon, Aoshi-san.” Ritsu replied softly. 

“It is now.” Aoshi said, his eyes lingering on Ritsu’s face. “Are you ready to go?”

“I hope so.” Ritsu said doubtfully, looking down at the clothes he was wearing. “You said to wear practical clothes.”

“Those will do nicely,” Aoshi himself was wearing a pair of black jeans, and a blue plaid shirt over a plain white t-shirt. A pair of dark-green and navy tennis shoes was on his feet, and he wore a braided black leather belt around his narrow waist. He looked the most normal that Ritsu had ever seen him, although he was still breathtakingly beautiful. 

“Come on, Ritsu-kun,” Aoshi held out his hand, and Ritsu got to his feet and climbed down the stairs. He unhesitatingly slid his hand into Aoshi’s, twining his fingers with Aoshi’s long, thin, elegant ones.

The top was down on the white convertible, to take advantage of the nice day. Aoshi got Ritsu settled in the passenger seat, and slid behind the wheel gracefully. He started the car, and drove out into the lessened Sunday traffic. He drove carefully but with great skill, his raven hair blowing back in the wind. Ritsu was glad that he’d caught back his own hair behind his head, or it would have turned into a tangled mess. He sat in his seat, content to watch Aoshi’s profile as he drove. 

They soon left the urban landscape behind, and drove out into the country. They passed between green fields and small copses of trees, and Ritsu watched a flight of birds wheel up into the sky with delight. They drove steadily into the country for awhile, passing a few small villages nestled into the landscape like treasure boxes. At last, Aoshi turned onto a narrow, single-lane side road, and followed its twisting length for a good twenty minutes. Then, he turned onto a track that was nothing but dirt, but seemed to be well-maintained. There were few ruts for the car to sink into, and the jolting was minimal.

Ritsu was eager to know where they were going. The track dead-ended in a large circular turn around, and Aoshi stopped the car and parked it there. “We’re here,” he announced, and Ritsu looked around to see where ‘here’ was.

Beyond the smoothed dirt of the cleared spot, a foot path was worn into the dirt. It led away into a small forest. Ritsu couldn’t see very far down it. Aoshi got out of the car, and motioned for Ritsu to do the same, as he went back to open the trunk and extract a small wicker hamper from its interior. He slung this article over his shoulder, as he came around the car to where Ritsu was standing waiting for him.

“Ready?” he asked. At Ritsu’s nod, he led the way down the foot path and into the trees. His confident step said that he’d been here before, probably more than once. Ritsu followed him tamely, trusting him to know where he was going.

Under the trees, it was cool and rather shadowy. They walked through dappled sunlight, and sprightly bird calls and the soft chirring of insects were the only sounds to break the peaceful silence. It reminded Ritsu of the Sohma land outside the compound. Shigure’s small house was on the edge of that unspoiled forest land. All you had to do was walk for a short while and you felt like you the only person around for miles, whether that was true or not. Here there was the same kind of quiet serenity. Ritsu’s anxious soul felt calmed and soothed by that feeling, and he strolled along after Aoshi’s tall figure without a care in the world.

They passed a stand of bamboo, green and leafy with new growth. The foot path dipped down a small incline, and stopped at the edge of a tiny lake. Ritsu gasped when he saw the pocket lake appear, as if out of nowhere. It had a strip of sandy shore surrounding it, and on the far side was an overhang of dark-grey granite. From the top of this outcropping, a tiny waterfall splashed merrily as it fell down the rock face. Water lilies grew on the surface of the tiny lake, and Ritsu’s sharp eye caught the splash as a fish surfaced briefly, and then swam away. 

Dragonflies hummed as they floated above the surface of the water, the jeweled tones of their bodies gleaming in the sunlight as they flitted about. It was the most beautiful place that Ritsu had ever seen, like something out of a fairy tale come to life. Aoshi stopped on the shore of the lake and turned to smile at him.

“Do you like it, Ritsu-kun?”

“It’s beautiful,” Ritsu replied softly, his eyes dazzled by the view. 

Aoshi nodded. “I’ve always thought so. Not many people come here, although the locals maintain the road and cut back the growth on the path. They consider this place to be sacred, so they never tell outsiders about it.”

“How did you find out about it, then?” Ritsu asked curiously.

“I was born about three miles from here, in a little village that’s in that direction,” he pointed off through the trees to the left. “So I’m technically a local, too, since I lived around here until I was twelve. That was the year my Father died, so my Mother moved to the city to live with my Uncle and keep house for him. She wanted me to go to a better school than the one-room village school. But I never forgot this place. It was one of my favorite places to play when I was a boy. It’s so quiet here, so peaceful. Sometimes I’d just bring a book, and come sit here at the edge of the lake and read for hours. I wanted you to see it - I knew you’d like it as much as I do.”

Ritsu nodded. “It’s wonderful, Aoshi-san. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Aoshi set the wicker hamper down on the ground. “I thought you might like to have a picnic here.” He said, opening the top. The first thing he extracted was a pretty red blanket, which he spread on the damp sand for them to sit on. “Come and sit down, Ritsu-kun,” he coaxed. Ritsu came and sat obligingly on the blanket, his fingertips stroking the soft fabric as he looked off across the lake dreamily.

Aoshi folded his long legs under him, and continued to take things from the hamper. There were bottles of spring water, packed Bento boxes for him and Ritsu, some pieces of fresh fruit, and some chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Those last he’d made himself, from a recipe he’d gotten off the internet. It called for great big chunks of rich dark chocolate, which he figured Ritsu would like after he’d seen his reaction to the chocolate mousse at the restaurant the other night.

“Are you hungry, Ritsu-kun?” he asked.

Ritsu shook his head. “Not very,” he said apologetically.

“That’s all right. This won’t spoil for waiting.” Aoshi replied serenely. He set his hands on his knees, sitting lotus fashion, looking rather like a stunning Buddha seeking enlightenment by communing with nature. 

Remembering what he’d said, Ritsu asked quietly, “What did your Father die of, Aoshi-san?”

Aoshi sighed, as an old sadness briefly registered on his face. “Cancer,” he said. “Prostate cancer. It wore him away in only a few months. He was older, anyway, than my Mother by a good fifteen years. He was in his sixties when he died. It was rather strange to have a Father that could be mistaken for my Grandfather, but he was a good man. I miss him still.”

“Gomen,” Ritsu said remorsefully. “I didn’t mean to bring up painful memories.”

Aoshi shook his head. ‘You didn’t, Ritsu-kun. Although his death was hard, and painful to watch, I don’t want to try to forget him. That would do the love he bore for me and my Mother a great disservice, don’t you think?”

Ritsu blinked. He supposed he did understand, although there were times when his traitorous brain wanted to forget his Mother entirely. Much as he had loved her, he also, deep in himself, hated her. It made him feel small and ugly to think that, but it was the truth.

Aoshi watched the play of emotions on Ritsu’s expressive face. There was sadness there, and anger, and a touch of self-loathing. Who or what was he thinking about to engender such a mix of emotions? Ritsu answered his unspoken question when he said: “My Mother died last year,” he let his head drop down over his knees, so that his face was half-hidden from Aoshi’s view.

“I’m sorry, Ritsu-kun. What did she die of?”

“She had a heart attack. But she wasn’t strong for years before that. Not since I was born. I think that my Father thought that my birth weakened her. That my being born was what eventually killed her.”

Aoshi drew in a sharp, angry breath at this quiet statement. What parent would let their child know that that was what they thought? How could a father make his son feel so unwanted? It was a cruelty that he could not comprehend. He uncrossed his legs, and slid across the blanket to touch Ritsu’s hunched shoulder with one gentle hand.

“I’m sorry your mother died, Ritsu-kun, but I’m sure that you didn’t kill her. And I’m also sure that the joy of having you for a child outweighed any risks she took to have you.”

Ritsu let loose a sound that was half-sob, half-laugh. “No. No, that’s not true. She was always apologizing for me, as though my very existence were something to be sorry for. I know that both of my parents wished that I’d never been born. I-I wish that I’d never been born, either.” The self-loathing and bitterness in his voice smote Aoshi to the heart. He gathered Ritsu up in his arms, one hand cradling the back of his head, while the other made soothing circles down his back.

“Ritsu-kun, if you were never born, my world would be a very lonely, unhappy place,” he whispered into the auburn hair. “I never realized how alone I was until I met you. Please don’t say that you wish you’d never been born. It makes my heart break to hear you say it.”

Ritsu began to sob in earnest at Aoshi’s softly spoken words. He clung to the taller man, his hands fisting in the plaid shirt, as he wept out his misery and grief and confusion. So many years of being pushed away, unwanted, unloved. So much despair at his own existence, so much anger over what he knew to be unfair treatment of him, just because he’d been born with the curse of the Juunishi. All of the pain that he’d kept locked inside of himself poured out in a river of tears, as Aoshi’s strong hands cradled him and Aoshi’s quiet voice whispered words of comfort and reassurance into his ear. 

The bout of crying seemed to go on forever. At last, spent and exhausted, Ritsu half-lay in Aoshi’s arms, with his head on the model’s shoulder, and his swollen eyes closed against the light. Aoshi stroked his hair with tender fingers, his touch helping to alleviate somewhat the forming crying jag headache that was beginning to pound behind Ritsu’s eyes. Aoshi bent his head and kissed Ritsu’s forehead. “There now, love,” he said. “That’s over. If you cried more often, it wouldn’t be this bad. You shouldn’t keep things bottled up inside of you like that.”

Ritsu sighed. He felt comforted and warm, held in Aoshi’s arms. A sense of amazing peace was stealing over him, as some of the gaping emotional wounds inside of him began to close. “I always feel so safe with you, Aoshi-san,” he whispered. The model heard him, and his arms tightened protectively around the slim form.

“You are safe with me, Ritsu,” he replied gently. “Always. I would never hurt you.”

Ritsu nodded against Aoshi’s shoulder. He knew that. Had known it since he first set eyes on the model in Aya’s shop. Enveloped in that peaceful feeling, his breathing slowed, and he drifted off into sleep. Aoshi held onto the sleeping boy, one hand still caressing the silky hair, as he stared off over the unruffled surface of the lake. The model was happy just to be where he was, to hold Ritsu close while he slept, and to enjoy the serene quiet of this secluded paradise. 

Ritsu slept for at least an hour. Aoshi spent the time studying Ritsu’s sleeping face, or watching the dragonflies play on the surface of the lake. He couldn’t decide which of the two things were more beautiful. Once in awhile, he ran a finger down Ritsu’s cheek lovingly. These touches made the sleeping monkey stir but not awaken, and a small smile played over Ritsu’s mouth each time. At last, Ritsu stirred a bit as he slowly awoke from his nap.

His large eyes slowly opened, and blinked up at the man who’s lap he was currently lying in. Aoshi smiled down at the sleepy boy. “Ohayo, my lovely Ritsu,” Aoshi said softly. “Did you sleep well?”

Ritsu nodded. He sat up a bit, rubbing at his aching eyes. They were still a bit red and swollen from his earlier crying. He yawned in such a charming fashion that Aoshi couldn’t resist bending his head and kissing that slightly open mouth. Ritsu gasped, then moaned softly as Aoshi slanted his mouth gently over his. Aoshi insinuated his tongue into Ritsu’s mouth, stroking his tongue over Ritsu’s until the monkey felt dizzy with desire. He found himself with his arms around Aoshi’s neck, returning the kiss whole-heartedly if a bit awkwardly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoshi and Ritsu are getting closer and closer.

Ritsu hummed a bit to himself as he straightened the shirt over Aoshi’s shoulders. The model stood patiently for his last fitting before the show, smiling a little over Ritsu’s cheerful mood. It was a far cry from his first fitting, when Ritsu had been nearly catatonic from nervousness and extreme shyness. He had already learned to relax enough around Aoshi that his fingers no longer trembled when he touched him, and he met Aoshi’s gaze confidently. It was an astonishing transformation, and all due to the fact that Ritsu had finally found his confidence. Love was making him bold. 

After their picnic on Sunday, Aoshi drove Ritsu home and talked him into extending the date into the rest of the day. They went to see a movie, an American comedy that Ritsu was often puzzled by, because even the subtitles couldn’t always give the context of the humor. Fortunately, Aoshi had been to America a half-dozen times and spoke fairly good English, so he was able to explain most of the confusing parts to Ritsu. Sitting in the darkened theater, his fingers entwined with Aoshi’s on the armrest, Ritsu enjoyed the movie enormously. 

Afterward, they went out for pizza. Aoshi had added a baseball cap to his outfit, and was wearing dark sunglasses. When he caught Ritsu’s puzzled glance, he laughed. “Being famous has its drawbacks, Ritsu-kun,” he explained. “And one of those is the hordes of rabid fan girls and boys who practically worship the ground I walk on. You’ve never seen anything more scary than a baying pack of girls, out for blood, or souvenirs, or whatever, closing in on you. And these,” he reached up to point at his eyes, “Are not exactly forgettable. There aren’t too many people in Japan with this eye color. It’s a dead give away every time.”

Ritsu couldn’t help but giggle at the image of a mob of fanatical girls chasing Aoshi down the street. He would bet that Aoshi’s calm couldn’t stay intact in the face of that terror. The model gave him a mock-glare over his sunglasses when Ritsu laughed. “Oh, it’s hilarious for you, Ritsu-kun, but just wait until those same girls find out that I’m dating you. They’ll be out for your blood, take my word for it.”

Ritsu stopped laughing and looked alarmed. “Not so funny now, is it?” Aoshi said easily. “But don’t worry, Ritsu-kun, I’ll protect you from the big, bad girls.”

Ritsu blushed, and threw a piece of pepperoni at Aoshi across the small table. The model ducked, and grinned wickedly as he lobbed a green pepper missile in return. Ritsu couldn’t get out of the way in time, and it stuck in his hair. He untangled it, all the while glaring at his date. Aoshi simply propped his chin on his fist, as he watched Ritsu struggle to get the piece of vegetable out of his auburn locks.

After they’d eaten, they took a stroll down the street. They didn’t hold hands, but few Japanese couples, gay or straight, held hands in public. But the entire time they were both very aware of each other, and the growing sexual desire getting stronger and stronger between them. Both of them knew that this situation couldn’t go on for very much longer, that something had to give. The heat they generated was scorching. 

Aoshi drove Ritsu home after that, and chastely kissed him on his doorstep. He knew that Ritsu wanted to invite him in, and he also knew that he desperately wanted what would happen if the boy did invite him in, but he also wanted the first time with Ritsu to be special. He had a plan, and he was going to stick to it. Even if it killed him. So he left a frustrated monkey at his door, and forced himself to drive away.

 

This afternoon, when he came in for his last fitting, he found Ritsu bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. It was rather annoying, when you yourself are suffering from a massive case of blue balls, to find the object of your desire seemingly unaffected by the same longings. It made Aoshi want to drag Ritsu off to the bathroom, and kiss him until he was as hot and bothered as Aoshi himself was. But since that was a terrible idea for many reasons, he gritted his teeth and endured Ritsu’s innocent good humor as best he could.

“There,” Ritsu said in satisfaction. The blue velvet shirt fit perfectly, its dark color enhancing Aoshi’s eyes and skin tones dramatically. The nearly transparent sleeves showed off the long, lean muscles in Aoshi’s arms, and the pants clung to his long legs like a second skin. He literally looked good enough to eat.

Ritsu, who’d spent the last half-hour or so in that zone where all he was thinking about was what he was doing, finally returned to earth now that the last of the outfits had been fitted. He was ready for the show, and there were no more alterations to make. He blinked a bit as his mind returned to the normal world, and then his large eyes got even wider when he took a good look at Aoshi. 

The model stood easily, with one leg forward and slightly turned out, showing off the black pants. The leather hugged his legs like a second skin, and Ritsu rather breathlessly followed the line of them until they disappeared beneath the gauzy panels of fabric on the bottom of the shirt. The vest part of the shirt was cut low enough that he got a dazzling glimpse of Aoshi’s upper chest, and the muscles in the model’s arms flexed as he hooked his fingers in the back of the pants casually. The color of the shirt’s fabric made his eyes turn nearly pure silver, and his skin was as pale and perfect as the finest Chinese porcelain.

All of the desire that Aoshi had wished for Ritsu to feel, and then some, surged through the young designer as he gasped aloud. Aoshi’s eyes narrowed a bit in satisfaction, as Ritsu’s face flushed and his breathing picked up. “Do you see something you like, Ritsu-kun?” he nearly purred, as Ritsu gulped and put up a hand to pull at the suddenly tight collar of his uniform.

“I…” Ritsu couldn’t quite speak normally. Aoshi smiled as he stepped closer to Ritsu, close enough that they were nearly pressed against one another. The silvery eyes gleamed as Aoshi stared down into a pair of huge cinnamon colored eyes that shone with a bright sheen of lust. He put up a hand to run his thumb caressingly over Ritsu’s bottom lip.

“Do you know how much I want to kiss you right now, Ritsu-kun?” he said throatily, lowering his voice so that it would not carry out beyond Ritsu’s work space.

Ritsu nodded slightly. He also knew how desperately he wanted that kiss, and his eyes fastened on Aoshi’s lips, as he whimpered a bit deep in his throat. The noise made Aoshi groan, and he bent his head until his lips were nearly touching Ritsu’s. Their breaths mingled as they locked gazes, and the rest of the world did not exist for them. All Aoshi had to do was just lower his mouth a tiny bit more, and then he could feast on Ritsu’s sweet lips…

A loud burst of laughter from somewhere else in the room brought them both back to their senses abruptly. They couldn’t make out in plain sight in the middle of Ritsu’s classroom, and Aoshi sighed as he stepped away from the lovely temptation standing in front of him. Ritsu felt a flash of disappointment, and also a flush of embarrassment. He was going to let Aoshi kiss him right out in the open so that all of his fellow students could see! And if Aoshi tried to kiss him, right here and now, he knew that he’d let him. He was becoming thoroughly shameless, and he was also beginning to revel in that fact.

“Let’s get out of here, Ritsu-kun,”Aoshi said, glancing sideways in annoyance at the busy classroom. 

Ritsu nodded. Aoshi shrugged out of the blue shirt, which did nothing good for Ritsu’s blood pressure. He stared openly at Aoshi’s naked chest as the model picked up his own shirt and put it on. Seeing him staring, Aoshi took his own sweet time about buttoning up the shirt. Ritsu was feeling quite breathless by the time Aoshi finished. 

Ritsu returned the clothes to the tailor’s dummies, where they’d stay until the show the day after tomorrow. Then he tidied up his work space. Aoshi sat on his stool and waited patiently for him to finish his chores. But once he was done, the model got up and touched his elbow. “Let’s go,” he said, and Ritsu obediently followed him out of the building.

Aoshi surprised Ritsu. Instead of dropping him off at home or taking him to Aya’s shop, he drove to an ice cream parlor and bought Ritsu a chocolate truffle ice cream cone. Aoshi himself had pistachio, and they sat at the small round table torturing themselves by watching each other lick their ice cream cones. Ritsu’s tongue was small and pink, and Aoshi struggled to contain himself as he watched it dart out to sensually gather up some of the cold chocolate stuff. For his part, Ritsu found himself fascinated by Aoshi’s manner of eating his ice cream. Sometimes he licked it, but at others he would scoop some of it into his mouth and roll it around, before swallowing it slowly. Although they both enjoyed themselves, they were both glad when the ice cream had been consumed and the pleasurable torture came to an end.

Still Aoshi didn’t take Ritsu home. Instead, they went to a park. It had a small pond with a bridge over it, and they stood on the bridge and watched the Chinese ducks float on the water. There were also Koi in the pond, huge fat things that swam lazily about. The fish and ducks were well fed, and as the two men watched a group of schoolchildren appeared and began to throw bits of bread onto the water while they chattered brightly.

Ritsu smiled as he watched the children. They were such innocent, happy things - not like the Juunishi children at all. Being raised with the curse, and many times abandoned by your parents and looked down upon by your family, had left all of the cursed ones with scars. Many became distant, cold people, cutting off their emotions altogether so that they couldn’t feel the pain of rejection. Ritsu often thought that his cousin Yuki was that way - that he’d divorced himself from feeling too much to protect himself. But then, Yuki had been partially raised around Akito. Ritsu shivered at the thought. His life had been bad enough, but he simply couldn’t imagine being under Akito’s thumb for any length of time. He would have simply gone mad.

Aoshi saw Ritsu shiver, and wondered what thoughts made him do so. There was a solemn, rather sad look on his face as he stared at the flock of school children standing at the water’s edge below them. He reached out and twined his fingers with Ritsu’s, and the monkey broke out of his dark thoughts to turn his head and smile at him. “What’s the matter, Ritsu-kun?” Aoshi asked softly.

Ritsu sighed. “Watching the children,” he said, indicating with his head the small group below them, “I couldn’t help but think about when I was a child. What it was like to grow up in the Sohma family. Have you ever felt like you weren’t wanted, Aoshi-san? That when people look at you, all they see is someone who was a mistake, who shouldn’t even have been born?”

Aoshi’s silvery eyes darkened. “No, Ritsu-kun,” he replied. His family had always wanted and adored him. It was hard for him to imagine what life had been like as a child for his precious Ritsu. His fingers tightened around Ritsu’s as he said quietly. “I’m sorry that that happened to you, Ritsu-kun. But it doesn’t matter if your family doesn’t want you, not anymore. Because no matter what happens, I’ll always want you. You’re my favorite ‘mistake’,” and he lifted Ritsu’s hand to his lips, not caring that they were out in public, and softly kissed his fingers.

Ritsu bit back a small sob at Aoshi’s words and tender gesture. He closed his eyes as tears leaked out from under his eyelids. “Thank you, Aoshi-san,” he whispered, letting all of his gratitude and love show in his voice.

Aoshi reached up to gently wipe away the few tears from Ritsu’s cheeks with his thumb. “Don’t cry, Itoshii” he chided affectionately. “I hate it when you cry. Smile for me instead.” He coaxed.

Ritsu conjured up a watery smile. “That’s better,” Aoshi said in satisfaction. “Have I told you how beautiful you are when you smile?”

Ritsu glowed under the sincerity of Aoshi’s admiration. The model caught his breath as he stared into eyes that resembled gems, so bright and soft were they. He wanted nothing more than to get lost in those eyes forever. :I love you, Sohma Ritsu: he thought, although he didn’t say it aloud. Not just yet. But soon. Soon he’d tell this lovely boy that he’d captured his heart and soul. With this resolution in mind, Aoshi took Ritsu’s elbow and they strolled together through the park. No matter what the weather, it was a beautiful day. 

A/N: Just for you, Kuro. :)


	9. Chapter 9

The day of the fashion show had finally arrived. It was held in the college’s auditorium, and the seats were packed with relatives, friends, and fellow students. A loud hum of conversation filled the large space, as the audience waited for the show to begin.

One row of seats attracted a good bit of attention, because the people sitting there weren’t normal-looking. One of the men had waist-length, silver/white hair, and large, mysterious, platinum-colored eyes. Another, younger boy sitting next to a dark-haired, dark-eyed man had hair the color of carrots, and red-brown eyes. A pretty girl with large eyes occupied the seat next to him, and a blonde-haired boy with huge brown eyes sat next to her, and chatted away a mile a minute at her. Next to him was a tall, lanky boy with white hair on top of his head, and black hair on the bottom. He had his head bent to speak to the slender, violet-eyed youth on his right, who bore a strong resemblance to the flamboyantly-dressed man with the long hair. 

This party garnered more than a few stares, but they were used to attracting attention, and so ignored the startled or curious looks they received. Aya, for one, was too busy chattering with Hatori on his left, and Shigure on his right. He was as excited as a small child, proud of Ritsu, and swelling with the secret about Ritsu’s model for the show. Hatori tuned out about three-fourths of what Aya said, as usual, while Shigure smiled indulgently and affectionately at his friend. Both men were wearing nice suits, which made Aya’s outfit stand out even more than usual. He was wearing a variation on his long coat, this one in shimmering silver satin, with black frogs down the front. 

The younger set were already getting restless, especially Kyou. He slumped moodily in his chair, annoyed because Hatori and Shigure had insisted that he come and support his cousin. Kyou honestly didn’t like Ritsu that much, because the monkey’s jitteriness got on his nerves. Plus, he wasn’t that interested in clothes, so spending an hour staring at them, while they were paraded in front of him, didn’t appeal to him at all. Tohru, on the other hand, was quite excited and wide-eyed over the whole thing.

“I can’t wait to see Ritsu-kun’s designs!” she gushed, clasping her hands together in front of herself eagerly. 

“Me either,” agreed Momiji brightly. “Aya-san said they’re quite good, and he’d know, wouldn’t he?”

Kyou snorted. Considering the kinds of clothes Aya designed, Kyou didn’t consider him a fashion guide. Ritsu would probably be showing off a bunch of dresses. Worse, he’d probably wear them himself. And wouldn’t THAT be embarrassing, having their cousin parading around in women’s clothes for everybody in the audience to see? 

Yuki had similar thoughts, although it would have annoyed him to know that. He sighed - he didn’t much care for Ritsu either, and he thought it embarrassing enough that they had one male in the family who designed and wore women’s clothes. Worse, that male just happened to be his older brother, who drove him crazy, when he wasn’t making him wish he could sink into the ground. Ritsu following in Aya’s footsteps would only make the problem worse. 

Haru gave him a sideways glance when he sighed. He could generally read what Yuki was thinking, because his emotions shimmered in his large, expressive eyes. While Haru understood Yuki’s reaction to his brother, he himself liked both Aya and Ritsu a great deal. He agreed that Ritsu could be hard to take sometimes, but the monkey was basically good-hearted and sweet. That counted a lot with Haru, as did Aya’s good intentions. There was no malice in either of them. Haru wished sometimes that he could think of a way to bridge the gap between the two brothers, because he’d often yearned for a sibling of his own, and envied Yuki a bit for having someone as interesting and fun as Aya for an older brother.

The curtain rose on the stage below, and the babble of voices died away, as the teacher who would be acting as the MC for the show walked on to the stage and gave a little description of what they’d be seeing tonight. He then yielded his place to the first of the students, a pretty girl who looked a bit nervous. Her model was her boyfriend, and he looked stiff and nervous as he walked down the makeshift runway to show off her designs. 

“He looks like a robot,” Kyou said sardonically, in a near whisper, to Tohru and Momiji. Momiji slapped his hand over his mouth to stifle his giggle. Tohru also had to stifle laughter, for the boy DID look rather like a robot. He swung his arms stiffly at his sides, and marched down the runway like he was going to his own execution.

Hatori shot them a coolly rebuking look. Kyou shrugged as though this didn’t bother him, but he immediately shut up and slumped down in his seat again to moodily watch the parade of nervous, awkward amateur models showing off a variety of clothing. Some of the designs were good, some bad, a few mediocre; and there was one set made of psychedelic colors and with such a peculiar cut that it boggled the mind of every one of the people watching. Aya actually moaned and covered his eyes with his hand at the sight of this abomination. Shigure shook his head, Kyou made a gagging sound, Momiji squealed in horror, Tohru gasped and covered her mouth, and Haru’s mist-grey eyes widened in shock. Even Hatori grimaced a bit, and they were all glad when that part of the show was over. 

Finally, it was Ritsu’s turn. Even Kyou straightened in his seat, interested in spite of himself. Aya beamed, his eyes shining as he stared at the stage where Ritsu stood. Hatori narrowed his eyes a bit, suspiciously, at the look on Aya’s face. The snake was up to something; Hatori recognized that expression. In apprehension he looked down at the stage to see what it was.

There was a collective gasp from the audience when Aoshi strolled out of the wings in the first of Ritsu’s outfits. He stopped at the head of the runway, his stance fluid, his head cocked a bit. Then he began to walk down the runway, if you could call what he was doing mere walking. His long legs seemed boneless, as he moved like a large cat. One hand was in the pocket of the gold-embroidered frock coat, the other swung easily by his side. He kept his head up boldly, his silver gaze cool. He turned his head a bit when he reached the end of the runway. He stopped briefly to show off the clothes he wore, then swung smoothly around and showed off the back view - which was as good as the front.

Haru had sat straight up in his seat when Aoshi appeared. “Is that…?” he said amazement, his eyes fastened on the beautiful male stalking down the runway. “It is!” he exclaimed in disbelief. “It’s Fujihara Aoshi! How did Ritsu get him to model his clothes? He’s one of the highest paid models in Japan!”

Yuki glanced at him sideways in curiosity. “You seem to know an awful lot about him,” he commented.

Haru’s cheeks tinged faintly with color. “Well…I’ve kind of had a crush on him for a couple of years,” he said reluctantly. At Yuki’s disbelieving stare, he threw up his hands and said: "I mean look at him, he’s gorgeous!”

Yuki shook his head. While the man modeling Ritsu’s clothes was quite exotic and beautiful, he didn’t find him at all interesting. But then, if he would have admitted it to himself, Yuki wasn’t really attracted to anybody yet. He had walled himself up so tightly that normal reactions, like sexual attraction, were still closed off within him. One day, perhaps, those emotions would come alive in the mouse, and hit him hard. But for now, Haru’s declaration made no sense to him whatsoever.

Momiji was more interested in the clothes than the man wearing them. “Wow!” he breathed “Aya-san was right! Maybe I’ll get Ritsu to make some clothes for me!” 

Kyou was just relieved that the clothes were men’s clothes, not women’s. He wasn’t aware enough of popular culture to recognize Ritsu’s model, so he didn’t understand the exclamations and gasps that broke out when Aoshi first appeared. His sharp ears did pick up snippets of conversation from the people around them, so he came to realize that the guy was some kind of professional model. But so what? He didn’t see what the big deal was.

Tohru was delighted about how pretty Ritsu’s clothes were. She loved every outfit, her eyes wide and adoring as she gazed at them. Someone watching her might have thought she was having the standard fan girl reaction to Aoshi, but she didn’t even really notice the model wearing the clothes. Tohru could be pretty single-minded when she wanted to be.

Shigure’s large dog’s eyes widened even more when he saw Ritsu’s model. The writer, unlike Kyou, knew exactly who the young man was. He darted a glance at Aya, and saw him staring down at Aoshi with such a smug, satisfied look on his face that Shigure had to fight back a groan. Of course Aya had to have been the one who supplied Ritsu with such as famous model, but Shigure knew Aya well enough to know that he wouldn’t have that look on his face unless there were more to this story than met the eye.

Hatori had also correctly read Aya’s expression. His good eye narrowed, and his lips thinned a bit, as he watched the gorgeous young model show off Ritsu’s designs. Aya was going to have some explaining to do, and soon. Although Hatori just KNEW that he wasn’t going to like the explanation. He seldom did, when it was Aya doing the explaining.

When Aoshi did his last stroll down the runway, the crowd broke out into a roar of applause. The model nodded his head in acknowledgement of the acclaim, and then walked off the stage in a leisurely manner. The fashion show had been a huge success, far more entertaining than it normally was. But unfortunately for the three students who went after Ritsu, their collections were a dull anti-climax. How could they compete with something like that? All of them threw resentful looks at Ritsu when they came off the stage, but he was still too high off of nervousness and excitement to notice. 

Slowly but surely the auditorium emptied out, everyone talking excitedly about the surprise appearance of the famous model Fujihara Aoshi. The Sohmas didn’t leave with the crowd, but waited while it thinned out. At last, Hatori turned to fasten Aya with a grim stare. “All right, Aya,” he said. “Start talking.”

Aya put up a hand to play with his hair, while he smiled fearlessly at the suspicious dragon. “I don’t know what you mean, ‘tori,” he said impishly.

Shigure groaned. Aya would play with fire. He just couldn’t help himself. Hatori’s slate-grey eye narrowed further. “Ritsu-kun had a most unusual model today,” Hatori said. “Was that your doing, Aya?”

Aya nodded, looking pleased. “Fujihara-kun is a good friend of mine. Ri-chan needed a model, so I called in my friend to help him out. I don’t see why you’re getting upset about something so simple, ‘tori.” 

Hatori drew in a sharp, exasperated breath, but since he had nothing as yet to pin on Aya, he couldn’t continue his interrogation. Aya’s smile was sly as he turned away to Shigure. “Wasn’t my Ri-chan wonderful, ‘Gure? The boy is sooo talented!”

Shigure’s lips twitched, but he nodded in agreement. “Can we get out of here?” Kyou said impatiently from beyond Shigure.

“Soon. We just have to congratulate Ritsu,” Hatori said calmly. “Here he comes,” he added, as they all looked to see Ritsu walking up the aisle toward his family. The monkey was smiling, riding an endorphin high, so happy that he could barely contain it. Aya flowed past Hatori and seized his hands. “Ahhh, Ri-chan, your designs are so marvelous! I am struck dumb in admiration!”

“That’ll be the day," Shigure muttered to Hatori. The dragon nodded in wry agreement.

Ritsu flushed under his admired cousin’s praise. “Arigatou, Cousin Aya. I’m so glad that you liked them.”

“Yes, my opinion is very important,” Aya conceded smugly. Both Hatori and Shigure rolled their eyes behind him, and Kyou made a gagging noise, as though he had a hairball.

Hatori stepped up beside Aya. “Congratulations, Ritsu,” he said quietly. “We’re all very proud of you.” He said it sincerely, although there were several members of the party who might have argued with him.

Ritsu flushed even darker under Hatori’s approving gaze. He’d always valued Hatori’s opinion of him, because his older cousin seemed to be everything he wasn’t - calm, capable, brilliant, serene, and totally confident. Shigure clapped Hatori on the shoulder, and beamed at Ritsu with his laughing dog’s eyes. “Yes, I was surprised at how talented you are, Ri-chan," he remarked. Hatori winced at Shigure’s usual unintended callousness.

But instead of throwing himself on the ground in a screaming agony of apologies, Ritsu actually smiled at Shigure and said easily, “Hai, I was surprised, too Shigure-san,” he said.

Shigure’s jaw dropped, and he blinked. Hatori’s face went blank, as he sought to conceal his shock. Kyou hissed, as he stared at his cousin and wondered which alien life form had replaced the monkey while he slept. Tohru only beamed at Ritsu, pleased that he seemed so happy. Momiji stood beside her and peered at Ritsu with his large, interested eyes, trying to understand the changes he saw in him. Haru was too busy trying to think of a way to ask Ritsu if he could meet his model to pay attention, while Yuki stood next to him and stared at Ritsu in astonishment. Aya only smiled wider, preening himself in self-satisfied glee. 

“Uhhh…Ri-chan?” Shigure began uncertainly.

Ritsu looked at him. “What is it, Shigure-san?” he asked.

The dog was rather confounded, and so a bit thrown off about what to say. He couldn’t very well demand to know what had happened to the old, anxious, nervous Ritsu, and what had produced this sea change in him. But he was forestalled by the arrival of Aoshi, now wearing his version of street clothes. These consisted of a flowing white poet’s shirt, a black leather vest, and a pair of skin tight leather pants, with a belt made out of bicycle chain. He strolled up to the Sohma party, his eyes taking in the people he’d seen in Ritsu’s pictures. 

“Ritsu-kun,” he said, and the monkey instantly turned toward him with a smile.

“Aoshi-san, come and meet my family,” he said, taking Aoshi by the forearm and nearly dragging him forward. The ripples of astonishment spread wider, and Aoshi found himself at the center of a ring of astounded eyes.

“Aoshi-san, this is my Cousin Hatori and my Cousin Shigure,” Ritsu said, introducing him to the two eldest men first. He already knew Aya, and Aya winked at him from behind Hatori’s back. “Pleased to meet you,” the model said quietly to the two elder Sohmas. “Ritsu-kun has told me a bit about you.”

'Well, he didn’t tell us anything about you,' Shigure thought, even as he put out his hand to shake Aoshi’s instead of doing the traditional bow. “Nice to meet you,” he said.

Aoshi felt Hatori’s eyes on him, and he turned to meet his look head-on. The two men assessed each other silently, both taking the measure of the other. While Aoshi was younger, that didn’t mean much. Hatori had met his match in sheer force of will. He acknowledged that fact with a slight bow of his head, which Aoshi returned coolly.

The rest of the family had practically held their collective breaths during this interval. Once it was over, Kyou stalked forward to look this newcomer over. He was a lot more interested in him now that he’d stood up to Hatori. There weren’t too many people who could do that. Ritsu said: “And this is my Cousin Kyou, Aoshi-san.”

“Hello,” Kyou muttered, cocking his head to look Aoshi over in that bold, almost impolite way that he had. Aoshi was more amused than insulted, and merely lifted an eyebrow at the impertinent young cat. 

Momiji pushed Tohru out into the aisle and made a beeline for his cousin. “Ritsu-san!” he yelled, "Your clothes were great! Do you think that you could make me some?”

“And this is my cousin Momiji,” Ritsu said to Aoshi, as the model fought back a smile at the charming boy’s enthusiasm. 

“Hello!” Momiji said, sticking out his hand to shake Aoshi’s. Aoshi saw that Momiji had grown since the photo in Ritsu’s apartment was taken. He looked more like the seventeen-year-old he was, rather than a little boy. Momiji ran his big brown eyes over Aoshi, and said: "I like your clothes, too!”

“Thank you,” Aoshi said, trying not to laugh. 

Ritsu tugged at Aoshi’s sleeve. Come and meet Tohru,” he said. Aoshi let himself be led over to the sweet, big-eyed girl, who smiled at him in such a way that it felt as though the sun had somehow come out.

“Nice to meet you,” he said sincerely to her, taking her hand briefly in a gentle grip.

Tohru liked the tall model right away. Not that she didn’t like almost everyone, but he seemed really nice. She was glad that Ritsu had such a good friend, because the young monkey seemed altogether happier, and much more relaxed than the last time that she’d seen him. She noticed how possessively his hand lay on the taller man’s arm, but Tohru was such a complete innocent that she didn’t think past ‘friend’. 

Haru had come out in the aisle to stare rather dazedly at Aoshi. He couldn’t believe that he was this close to Fujihara Aoshi! Aoshi himself, becoming aware of the tall boy, looked up and saw the familiar look in Haru’s eye. He sighed internally. So one of Ritsu’s cousins was a fan boy. He usually knew how to handle this type of situation, but the boy didn’t seem crazy like some of them were, and he was related to Aoshi’s precious Ritsu. He supposed he’d have to be gentle in this case.

Ritsu saw Haru, and went over to touch his sleeve. “Come over and meet Aoshi, Haru-kun," he urged. The cow let himself be led to where Aoshi was standing, too lost in the haze of a fan boy’s dream come true to object. Aoshi greeted him calmly, but Haru for once found himself to be absolutely speechless. His tongue seemed to be sticking to the roof of his mouth. 

Aoshi refrained from rolling his eyes at the boy’s tongue-tied behavior. Instead, he shook Haru’s hand (I’m not going to wash it for a week! Haru thought wildly), and greeted the last of the party, Yuki. Yuki nodded at him but refrained from offering his hand to be shaken. He gave his out-of-it cousin an impatient look, and dug his elbow into Haru’s ribs sharply. 

Now that introductions were made, Aoshi was impatient to get going. “It was great to meet all of you,” he said, running his eyes over the collected Sohmas and Tohru, “But Ritsu-kun and I have to get going. I’m taking him to dinner to celebrate his finals.” He smiled at them all impartially and put his arm around Ritsu’s waist. Ritsu beamed at all of his relatives and friends over his shoulder, as Aoshi led him away willingly. 

A doom-laden silence fell over the auditorium. Hatori looked like he’d swallowed an unripe melon, and was just beginning to feel the affects. Haru’s mouth hung open a little; he couldn’t BELIEVE that Ritsu had snagged the man of his, Haru’s dreams! It just wasn’t fair! Yuki just rolled his eyes, Kyou looked disgusted, Momiji yipped in happiness, Tohru looked puzzled, and Shigure put his hand over his eyes.

“Aya," Hatori said in a voice that didn’t bode well for the snake, “I think you have some explaining to do.”

For once, Aya’s boundless, blind confidence wasn’t helping. He swallowed a bit, nervously, at Hatori’s tone. “Really, ‘tori, it’s not that big a deal,” he began. 

“Mmm-hmmm. We’ll talk about this later,” Hatori said, beginning to herd his diverse flock out of the auditorium towards the parking lot. Aya went reluctantly, sighing to himself. He wasn’t looking forward to ‘later’. He hated being lectured by Hatori. Honestly, Hatori could be so unreasonable!

Shigure threw his friend a sympathetic look over his shoulder. The dog wasn’t looking forward to the next few hours any more than Aya was. He’d have to be there to defend Aya against Hatori’s anger. For once, Shigure felt that Aya was in the right. Seeing Ritsu with the model, Shigure had been amazed by the changes in the monkey. It was all for the best, in his opinion, if that young Aoshi could bring about such a difference in Ritsu. But how to make Hatori see that? There, Shigure thought, is the million yen question. 

A/N: I'm really glad that you enjoy these, Kuro. Fruits Basket has always been one of my favorite anime, as well - DL


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ritsu and Aoshi have a lovely after show celebration...

“Your family seems quite interesting,” Aoshi remarked to Ritsu.

Ritsu smiled. “Yes, they are. I was glad to see that so many of them came to the show. Of course, Hatori-san probably dragged most of them along. I can’t see Cousin Kyou being interested in clothes.”

“I don’t think Hatori-san likes me very much,” Aoshi replied thoughtfully, not sounding in the least worried. 

Ritsu shook his head. “Hatori-san is very protective of us. I don’t think he’d like anyone who was dating me. Don’t take it personally.”

Aoshi laughed lightly. “I’ll try not to.” He looked forward through the windshield at the traffic light, waiting patiently for it to turn. He really was taking Ritsu to a restaurant to celebrate his finals. But afterward…

He glanced sideways at Ritsu’s profile. The lovely boy was smiling to himself, quite probably still thinking about the success of the fashion show. There was a dreamy quality to that smile that made Aoshi look hurriedly ahead again. Ritsu was always too much of a temptation to resist. When the light changed, he drove forward with the rest of the traffic. 

The restaurant that Aoshi had picked out for their celebration dinner was much less formal than La Cote D’Mer. It was a small Italian place, with checked table clothes and Chianti bottles on every table. The food was just as good, however. Ritsu ordered pasta primavera, while Aoshi had shrimp scampi. Aoshi spent half of dinner just watching Ritsu eat. He was rapidly developing a fixation on Ritsu’s sweet mouth. Ritsu, who was far less oblivious to Aoshi’s interest in him than he used to be, was aware of the fact that those tarnished-silver eyes were fixed unwaveringly on his mouth as he ate. While it didn’t kill his appetite, it did make him feel warm and excited. He squirmed a bit in his seat under the weight of Aoshi’s hungry stare, flushing a soft rose color that only turned the model on even more.

After dessert, as they were leaving the restaurant, Aoshi asked Ritsu if he’d like to see his apartment. The monkey agreed immediately, curious to see where Aoshi lived. The model drove to a high-rise apartment building in one of the most expensive areas in town, a huge gleaming glass and silver edifice that made Ritsu feel a little intimidated. He gaped at the marble floor in the lobby, the armed guard on duty at the front desk, and the fountain that had an abstract sculpture in the middle of it. Aoshi took his elbow when he would have frozen, and steered him toward a bank of elevators. He casually greeted the guard as he went by, and the man nodded and bade him good evening.

The elevator’s walls were glass panels, with soft lights behind them. Aoshi immediately pulled Ritsu up against him once they were inside and the doors were closed, wrapping his arms around Ritsu’s waist and resting his chin lightly on top of Ritsu’s hair. “You don’t have to be so nervous, Ri-chan,” he murmured soothingly. “They’re not going to kick you out of the building or anything like that. This is my home. You’re always welcome here.”

Ritsu relaxed in the embrace, as one of Aoshi’s hands began to make soothing circular motions on his stomach. “I-It’s just so…grand,” he whispered. “It scares me a bit.”

Aoshi chuckled fondly. “If you won’t tell anyone, Ri-chan, it scared me too when I first moved in. I would’ve been happy with an apartment like yours, but my agent insisted that I should live up to my income. She found this place for me. I’ve gotten used to it, but I know that it can be intimidating.”

Ritsu found it hard to believe the Aoshi was scared of anything, but it made him feel better to hear that he wasn’t the only one freaked out by huge and glamorous the apartment building was. Aoshi kissed the side of his neck, and he turned his head a bit with a sigh, to allow him greater access.

The elevator dinged as it reached its destination. The doors slid open, and Aoshi reluctantly released Ritsu. They stepped out into a hallway with a rich, royal blue carpet on the floor, and walls painted a soft cream color. There were paintings on the walls at intervals, and spindly-legged tables with vases of flowers on them. Ritsu craned his neck to see the various paintings, as Aoshi led him to the carved oak door at the end of the hallway. He pulled an electronic key card out of his vest, and used it to unlock the door. 

Ritsu stepped into an apartment that was more than half again as large as Shigure’s entire house. There were hardwood floors everywhere, and a sunken living room. Traditional Japanese lacquered furniture graced the space, and most of it looked like antiques. He could see the kitchen through an archway off to the right. It was a large space, with gleaming silver appliances and oak cabinets. The floor was done in a patterned black-and-white tile, and there were copper pots and pans in a rack over the tiny butcher block table in the center of the room.

Framed photographs hung on the wall to the left, and there were also framed examples of calligraphy and some traditional Japanese ink drawings. “So what do you think?” Aoshi asked him softly after he’d let Ritsu stand still for awhile, taking everything in.

“It’s…beautiful,” Ritsu said. 

Pleased that Ritsu liked his home, Aoshi smiled and touched Ritsu’s elbow. “Come into the kitchen and I’ll make us a cup of tea,” he said.

Ritsu obediently followed him into the black and white tiled space, sitting on the bar stool that Aoshi indicated. He watched as Aoshi moved about his kitchen, putting the teapot on to boil and opening a cupboard to fetch a small ceramic tea set down. He set the tea set on the table, seeming very at ease in his kitchen. It made Ritsu curious. “Do you cook, Aoshi-san?”

Aoshi nodded. “Yes. My Mother taught me. I made those cookies we had the other day.”

Ritsu was surprised. “You did? They were delicious.”

Aoshi smiled. “I’ll accept the compliment,” he replied with a wink. “I enjoy cooking. It relaxes me. It also means I don’t have to go out to eat every night. I like going to restaurants once in awhile, but not all the time. What about you, Ri-chan? I know you can make a great pot of tea,” Ritsu blushed at this compliment, “But can you cook?”

“A bit,” Ritsu said. “Just enough to keep myself fed. I’m not like my Cousin Yuki. He’s the lousiest cook ever. Or that’s what my Cousin Shigure says.”

Aoshi laughed. “That sounds like the pot calling the kettle black, since if your cousin had Yuki-kun cook even though he was a terrible cook, either Shigure-san can’t cook at all, or he’s totally lazy.”

“A bit of both, I think,” Ritsu said. “That’s why they were all so glad when Tohru moved in with them. Kyou was the only one who can actually cook, and he hates to do it.”

“She seems to be a bit more than a housekeeper to them,” Aoshi remarked. “They treat her more like a sister than a maid.”

“They’re all very fond of Tohru. Shigure-san treats her like a little sister, and Yuki-kun and Kyou-kun both adore her. I expect that either Yuki-kun or Kyou-kun will marry her eventually.”

“My bet is on the orange-haired boy,” Aoshi said. 

“Kyou-kun? Why do you say that?”

Aoshi’s lips quirked. “Just a hunch I have about your cousin Yuki,” he said calmly. He refused to say any more, leaving Ritsu puzzled. 

The teapot whistled. Aoshi retrieved it from the stove top, and dropped the tea ball into the boiling water. It was odd, Ritsu thought, to watch the glorious male model doing something so homey. But it suited him, just the same. In spite of his glamorous clothes and striking looks, Aoshi was a very simple person at heart. 

When it was done, Aoshi poured the tea into the cups and handed one to Ritsu. It was an interesting blend of Jasmine and green tea that Ritsu quite liked. He sipped it appreciatively. Aoshi leaned back against the edge of the table a bit as he drank his own. Ritsu found himself watching Aoshi’s throat as he swallowed, and he gulped. Aoshi just looked so sexy, leaning indolently back against the table, clad in leather and that romantic poet’s shirt that opened at the throat to show a bit of his chest. 

Ritsu felt hot. He surreptitiously put up a hand to pull at the collar of his uniform, feeling rather as though he were being strangled by it. Aoshi caught his gesture, and smiled wickedly over the rim of his tea cup. His silvery eyes gleamed through his long black lashes, as he watched Ritsu unconsciously squirm a bit on the bar stool. The sight made him harden rather uncomfortably in the tight leather pants, and he set his empty cup down on the table abruptly as he straightened up.

“Ri-chan,” he nearly purred as he advanced toward the boy. Ritsu’s eyes widened as Aoshi closed on him, but he didn’t move as Aoshi stepped near enough that he was nearly pressed up against him. The model put out his hands and set them on the counter on either side of Ritsu, effectively caging him. He looked deep into Ritsu’s cinnamon-colored eyes as he leaned forward so that their mouths were nearly touching.

“I want you, Ritsu-chan,” He whispered throatily, the sound making Ritsu quiver. Aoshi gave him no time to answer, for he claimed Ritsu’s lips in a breathtaking kiss. His tongue stole into Ritsu’s mouth, and their tongues tangled as Ritsu tried to copy Aoshi’s movements. Both of them moaned muffledly as they continued to kiss, and Aoshi’s hands left the counter and moved up to grasp the back of Ritsu’s head. 

When they finally broke apart, it was more because of a lack of air than any planned movement on either part. They panted as Aoshi pulled away the ribbon holding Ritsu’s long hair back. It fell around his face in silky strands, as Aoshi ran his fingers through it, marveling at its softness and rich color. “Such beautiful hair,” Aoshi said. “I’d like to see it spread across my pillows. Will you let me make love to you, Ri-chan?”

Ritsu nodded dumbly. He wanted this so badly that he felt like he’d explode soon. Aoshi’s eyes were darkened to the color of old steel, and that gaze devoured Ritsu hungrily. At his silent assent, Aoshi groaned and literally swept Ritsu up in his arms. He carried him easily out into the living room, and down a short hallway to his bedroom. The door was open, so he had no obstacles to contend with as he brought Ritsu over to the bed and gently lay him down on it.

Ritsu had only fragmented impressions of the room - the bed was enormous, and covered with a plain navy bedspread. The furniture was mostly Western antiques, with a huge armoire and a matching dresser of maple wood. There was a bank of windows on the south wall. But all of these sights were secondary to the sight of Aoshi leaning over him, because the model reached down and began to unfasten the clasps on his uniform tunic with deft fingers.

As he eased Ritsu’s tunic off, Aoshi busied himself with kissing the side of his neck. Ritsu moaned at the touch of his lips, licking and sucking with soft intensity and making the young monkey feel like he was going to melt. At last Aoshi pushed the tunic open and stroked one hand down the laid bare chest, moving to caress one of his nipples with a feather light touch. Ritsu cried out at this, one hand flying up to grasp Aoshi’s shoulder and the other burying itself in the front of his shirt. Aoshi smiled as he leaned forward to kiss Ritsu again, distracting him as his hands journeyed down to open the front of Ritsu’s pants.

Ritsu didn’t even notice at first what was happening, so caught up was he in the intensity of the kiss they were sharing. Only when the zipper was pulled down, and one of Aoshi’s hands stroked over the bulge thus exposed under Ritsu’s briefs, did he cry out in Aoshi’s mouth from the feeling. He arched his back as Aoshi continued to caress his still clothed erection, and Aoshi used the opportunity to divest him of the pants altogether. He pulled them off and tossed them away onto the floor, then returned to his pleasurable activity with barely a break. Ritsu was nearly mindless from the feel of Aoshi’s hand on him, and he moaned and whimpered helplessly.

Seeing Ritsu flushed and moaning just from the touch of his hand was almost enough to finish Aoshi off. He sat up, breaking contact, and began to pull his clothes off. Ritsu made a sound of disappointment in the back of his throat, and opened his eyes to see Aoshi pulling his shirt off over his head. It wasn’t the first time that he’d seen the pale perfection of Aoshi’s unclothed chest, but this time was a little bit different from the last. Here there were no other students, no class room, no interruptions. Aoshi was going to…His breath caught in his throat, and he panted desperately as he ran his eyes over the firm, sculpted muscles of Aoshi’s back and chest. 

The model stood up and shucked out of the confining leather pants. He wasn’t wearing any underwear, and Ritsu gasped as he took in the sight of firm buttocks, long muscular legs-and Aoshi’s erect cock, long and full, standing up nearly to his belly. It was the first time that Ritsu had ever seen another erect man before, and his eyes were riveted on Aoshi’s cock as the model turned back to him and stood looking down at him.

Aoshi saw the direction of his gaze and his lips quirked. He sat down on the bed and reached out to take one of Ritsu’s hands in his own. He led Ritsu’s hand between his legs and curled Ritsu’s fingers around his erection. “Touch me” he said softly. 

Aoshi’s penis didn’t feel quite like his own, Ritsu thought dazedly. It felt strange to be holding someone else’s cock in his hand, but it was exciting, as well. Experimentally he moved his hand a bit, and Aoshi groaned at the caress. Emboldened, Ritsu moved his hand again in a much longer stroke nearly from base to tip. Aoshi threw his head back and cried, “Ahh, Ritsu!” 

Amazed and aroused at being able to pull such sounds from Aoshi, Ritsu began to stroke the cock in his hand steadily. Aoshi gritted his teeth as Ritsu’s small, soft hand moved awkwardly but steadily over his penis. He felt like he was going to lose control at any second, and come before he wanted to. He put his hand down over Ritsu’s, stilling the boy’s hand.

Ritsu made a small enquiring sound as Aoshi stopped him. Aoshi shook his head as he lifted Ritsu’s hand to kiss the back of it. “It felt wonderful, Ri-chan” he said as he met Ritsu’s puzzled eyes. “Too good, in fact. I was about to come.”

Ritsu blushed at Aoshi’s words, but he also felt a surge of pride that he’d nearly made Aoshi come with just his hand. Aoshi leaned down to kiss him again, this time using his teeth and tongue and lips to drive Ritsu wild. The boy was trembling with desire when Aoshi finally abandoned his lips and began to kiss his way down Ritsu’s neck. He ran his tongue along Ritsu’s collar bone, listening to the cries and whimpers each of his caresses wrung from the lovely boy. Delicately he used just the tip to trace a line across Ritsu’s pectoral to his left nipple, which he engulfed in his mouth. He began sucking softly but with firm pressure, and Ritsu nearly wailed as his back arched off the bed helplessly. 

Ritsu’s fingers buried themselves into Aoshi’s soft black hair as the model sucked first one of his nipples, then the other. Abandoning the hardened nubs, Aoshi began kissing his way down Ritsu’s stomach. The muscles jumped under his lips, as Ritsu gasped helplessly. When he reached the edge of the briefs Ritsu was still wearing, he ran his tongue under the edge of the fabric. Ritsu cried out loudly, arching his hips toward Aoshi’s face in an instinctive begging gesture. Hooking his fingers in the fabric, Aoshi directed Ritsu to lift his hips. The monkey did so without question, relieved as the confining fabric slid away down his thighs and freed his trapped erection.

Aoshi didn’t immediately return to Ritsu’s cock. Instead, he began to lightly kiss his calves, working his way back up Ritsu’s legs slowly. Too slowly for the heavily aroused monkey, as Ritsu began to beg in a broken voice: "Please, Aoshi, please!” he cried, his fingers twining in the bedspread as Aoshi’s tongue ran up the inside of his left thigh. Ritsu felt as though his brain might explode at any second. 

Aoshi took pity on his whimpering, begging lover, and slid up far enough to take Ritsu’s erection in his mouth. Ritsu nearly screamed as Aoshi’s hot, moist mouth engulfed him completely, and his hips shot off the bed. His fingers flew up to tangle in Aoshi’s hair again as Aoshi ran his tongue down the length of Ritsu’s cock and swirled it over the weeping head. Taking it in once more, he began to suck with gentle pressure. Ritsu lost his voice as Aoshi’s mouth took him in, and then sucked relentlessly at him until a white hot explosion went off behind Ritsu’s eyes and he came in Aoshi’s mouth with a loud cry. 

Aoshi lifted his head a bit and looked down in satisfaction at his lover. Ritsu lay bonelessly on the bed, his eyes half closed, panting softly. He was such a beautiful, sexy sight in the aftermath of his coming that Aoshi felt a surge of both possessive pride and love run through him. He reached out and ran a hand over Ritsu’s belly, making him moan softly from the feel on his sensitized skin.

Ritsu felt pulped. He might have lain there for hours, just enjoying the afterglow, except that Aoshi began to kiss his chest again. He moaned rather supplicatingly, but Aoshi was relentless. He bit and licked his way up Ritsu’s belly and began to suck and nip at his nipples, while one hand caressed Ritsu’s hip and the other stroked down his thigh. Ritsu began to harden again, and he groaned at the feel of his returning erection and the things that Aoshi was doing to him. 

Aoshi patiently extended the foreplay, intent on making Ritsu’s first time with him (or with anyone, for that matter) something he’d remember forever. He kissed every part of Ritsu, even sucking softly on his fingers and suckling his earlobes. Ritsu was nothing but a mass of sensations after a while, as pleasure swamped every part of his being. All he knew were Aoshi’s lips and tongue and hands, taking him beyond anything he’d ever felt before and driving him insane. He began to beg again, desperation in his voice, because if something didn’t happen soon he really was going to go mad. “Aoshi” he whimpered, as Aoshi licked at the back of one of his knees. “Please! I need…” something, anything!

Aoshi straightened up and reached over to open the top drawer of his nightstand. Reaching in, he found the bottle of lube he kept there by feel. Coating his fingers, he turned back to his panting, writhing lover. Ritsu’s eyes were closed, his mouth slightly open, his face red. He was beyond ready, and Aoshi slid between his parted legs. Reaching down, he began to caress Ritsu’s opening with two of his lube coated fingers. Ritsu didn’t tense up, for he was too far gone to feel anything resembling embarrassment or shame. This was just another thing that felt good on top of everything else, and he only made a soft mewling sound when one of Aoshi’s fingertips slid into him.

Aoshi pushed a bit more of his finger inside of Ritsu, and began to move it in and out. It didn’t hurt-it felt good. Ritsu wanted more of the sensation, so he lifted his hips a little in supplication. At this signal, Aoshi slid the rest of the way inside of him. Ritsu cried out as he began to thrust the finger in and out of him. On one of the in-thrusts, the tip of his long finger struck something inside of Ritsu that made him scream and come off the bed. Aoshi slid a second finger into him while he was writhing, and used both of them to stimulate his prostate. Ritsu’s head flew from side to side as that sharp pleasure ran through him again and again. He never even noticed when Aoshi added a third finger, and began to scissor them to help widen him for what was to come.

He was ready. More than ready, and Aoshi couldn’t hold out any longer. Pulling out his fingers, he moved up a bit more between Ritsu’s legs as the boy whimpered in disappointment over the loss of the stimulation. He coated his penis with lube, groaning a bit, and then he put down his hands to lift Ritsu’s legs and wrap them around his waist. He guided the head of his cock to Ritsu’s entrance, then leaned over him and said: “Ritsu. Look at me.”

Ritsu’s eyes opened when Aoshi spoke. He looked up into darkened silver eyes as Aoshi slowly slid the tip of himself inside of Ritsu. They both gasped at the feel, and Ritsu’s hands gripped the covers tightly. Aoshi’s face twisted a bit at the feel of Ritsu’s hot tight passage closing around him. Never breaking eye contact, he pushed more of himself inside. Ritsu moaned, half in pain and half in pleasure, at the strange burning feeling and the sensation of fullness. Aoshi’s hands caressed Ritsu’s thighs as he eased himself inside of his lover, and after awhile he was fully seated in Ritsu and he stopped to let him adjust to the feeling.

Ritsu felt speared by Aoshi, so full! He panted as he tried to get used to the feeling, and after a short time it got better and he wanted something more. He lifted his hips a little as he moaned “Aooshhi…”, unable to get a whole sentence out and beg for the movement that his body was starting to crave.

Aoshi understood his silent signal. He pulled back a bit, then thrust forward. Ritsu cried out loudly. Yes, this was what he wanted! Aoshi thrust again, and again, each time retreating a bit further before he surged back in slowly. Soon he was steadily thrusting into Ritsu over and over, and Ritsu could do nothing but moan at the pleasurable friction. Aoshi groaned as he moved, loving the feel of the hot tightness closing around him each time he thrust. He picked up the pace a bit, and Ritsu’s cries took on a new urgency. Both of them would soon be coming, and Aoshi gripped Ritsu’s thighs as he angled his hips a bit to try to hit that sweet spot deep inside Ritsu.

He knew when he hit it because Ritsu threw back his head and screamed, his hips bucking uncontrollably. Wild gasps and cries fell from his lips as Aoshi hit that spot over and over, the pleasure almost too much to bear. Aoshi was now thrusting into him deep and hard, provoked to his own coming by the sounds that Ritsu was making and the sight of him losing himself to passion. He put down a hand and grasped Ritsu’s cock, beginning to stroke it as he slammed his hips relentlessly into Ritsu. “Come,” he commanded in a voice gone harsh from desire. 

Ritsu wailed as he came, his whole body arching up as all his muscles seized and he shot semen all over Aoshi’s hand and his own stomach. Aoshi thrust into him one more time, then threw his own head back as Ritsu’s convulsing internal muscles dragged his orgasm from him. He groaned Ritsu’s name as he came, his body shuddering. 

Aoshi half collapsed onto Ritsu, covered in sweat and limp from the power of his orgasm. He panted harshly in the aftermath, his arms trembling. Ritsu lay unmoving under him, his mind blown and his body feeling short circuited. The only sound for a short time was their breathing as both came down from the high. 

At last, Aoshi pulled out of Ritsu and fell to the side on the bed next to him. Ritsu moaned softly as he slid out of him, and Aoshi reached out and drew him into a gentle embrace. One of his hands cupped the back of Ritsu’s head, beginning to stroke his soft hair tenderly. “Ritsu. Are you all right, Itoshii?” he asked. 

Ritsu nodded his head a bit, that being the largest movement he seemed capable of at the moment. Aoshi’s breath whispered against his ear as he bent his head to kiss Ritsu’s cheek. “That was wonderful, Ri-chan.”

Ritsu totally agreed. It had been beyond wonderful. There were no words for what it had been like. All he said was, “Mmm-hmmm.” His eyes kept trying to flutter closed, as sleep teased at him. 

Aoshi saw how exhausted his lover was. “Don’t fall asleep on top of the covers, Ri-chan. You’ll get cold,” he said. Ritsu only mumbled sleepily, so Aoshi got out the bed briefly to detour to the bathroom. He fetched a moistened hand towel to clean Ritsu up with. Afterward, he half-picked Ritsu up and pulled the covers down so that he could move him under the blankets. Then he crawled back into bed and gathered Ritsu up once more, letting his head fall on his shoulder.

“Sleep, now, sweetness.” He said. Ritsu sighed, his fingers curling over Aoshi’s shoulder possessively as he went to sleep. Aoshi buried his nose in Ritsu’s hair, smelling its fragrance. 'This', Aoshi thought drowsily as he prepared to doze off himself, 'is the exact way I want to go to sleep for the rest of my life. With Ritsu curled up against me trustingly, our bodies sated from lovemaking. If there’s any way I can swing it, that’s exactly what will happen.' With this pleasant thought in mind, he followed Ritsu into sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Aoshi and Ritsu get a major shock, and Aoshi asks Ritsu something.

Ritsu awoke when the sunlight shone through the bank of windows. He lifted his head from Aoshi’s chest, squinting a bit in the early morning dazzle. He was used to getting up early, since his classes started at 8:00 each morning. He had no more classes right now, since yesterday was finals, but try telling his body that.

He looked down into the sleeping face of his lover. Aoshi’s long lashes lay on his cheeks, and his beautiful face was peaceful in sleep. Ritsu felt a surge of love, and also of desire, as he remembered last night. His cheeks heated a bit, as the memories ran through his head. Aoshi had made love to him not once, but three times, last night. He flushed even more darkly as he remembered the third time, when Aoshi turned him over on his hands and knees, kissed his way down his back, and then pulled his buttocks apart and…the feel of Aoshi’s tongue slipping into him had been the most shocking, amazing thing ever. He’d screamed and writhed on the bed, as Aoshi drove him crazy with his talented tongue. 

Ritsu yawned and stretched a bit, as he sat up slowly so as not to wake Aoshi. He ran his hand through his hair, which was a tangled mess. Carefully, he pulled himself out of the bed and stood up. He moaned a little at the pain in his lower back and ass, limping a bit as he went into Aoshi’s master bathroom. He collected his scattered clothing on the way, holding it over his arm as he entered the Italian marble and tile bathroom. He took a moment simply to gape at the luxurious room, with its huge tub and separate shower. 

He went over to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes were bright, and his face seemed to glow in the warm light of the bathroom. He smiled at his own reflection as he turned on the water in the sink. He washed his face and hands, looking wistfully at Aoshi’s electric toothbrush. His teeth could use a good scrubbing, especially after he’d taken Aoshi in his mouth last night. His cheeks heated a bit again at that memory. It had been so strange, but good, to suck on his lover while Aoshi moaned above him.

He did borrow one of Aoshi’s brushes, however, to try to untangle the mass his hair had become. He winced as he fought with the tangles. His hair was a rat’s nest, and it took him twenty minutes of patient teasing to get it back into order again. Once that was done, he got dressed in his wrinkled uniform. If he’d had any other clothes he would have worn them instead, but there was no way that he could wear anything of Aoshi’s. The model was a bit too broad across the shoulders, and way too tall in the leg, for anything to fit Ritsu. 

Coming out of the bathroom, he stopped to look down on the sleeping model once more. He was reluctant to wake Aoshi up, since he suspected that the model wasn’t normally an early riser. Gazing down at him, Ritsu had a sudden urge. But what he wanted to do required his leaving the apartment, and he wouldn’t be able to get back in unless he pounded on the door and woke Aoshi up. Unless...he remembered suddenly that Aoshi had put the electronic key card that he used on the front door in the pocket of the leather vest that he’d been wearing last night. 

Quietly he went over to retrieve the vest from where it lay on the floor, and fished out the card. He didn’t think that Aoshi would mind if he borrowed it, and it shouldn’t take him more than a half-an-hour to do what he wanted to do. He’d be back before Aoshi woke up. Smiling at his sleeping lover, Ritsu left the bedroom and quietly let himself out of the front door.

 

 

Aoshi awoke a short time later, instinctively reaching out for Ritsu. But his hands found nothing, and he opened his eyes rather groggily to find the space that Ritsu had occupied last night empty. Yawning, the model pulled himself to a sitting position and peered around his bedroom. No sign of his lover. Most likely he was in the bathroom.

He listened, but couldn’t hear any sound of water running. When he swung his legs off the side of the bed, he saw that Ritsu’s clothing was gone from the floor. “Ritsu?” he called, but there was no answer from the bathroom.

Standing up, he pulled a peacock-colored kimono robe from the closet and slung it on without bothering to belt it closed. He walked over to the bathroom door, and peering inside, he found the space empty. But one of his brushes had some auburn hairs in it. He padded out of the bedroom and down the hallway, to see if Ritsu was in the kitchen making some tea. “Ri-chan?” he called again as he entered the living room. But there was a silence, and a feeling of emptiness to the apartment, that made his stomach lurch.

The kitchen was empty as well. He stood in the archway, a cold feeling running through him, as nausea began to roil in his stomach. Ritsu had left him. He was gone from the apartment, and he’d left without a word to Aoshi. Anxiety lanced through him, and he put his hand up over his mouth. Had he fucked up? Aya had told him to go slow with Ritsu, and yet he’d only known him for two weeks and they’d already had sex. Had he freaked Ritsu out so much last night that he’d fled in the cold light of morning, ashamed of what had happened between them?

The worst thought was that he’d screwed up so badly that he wouldn’t get another chance with Ritsu. What if Ritsu didn’t want to ever see Aoshi again? What if he’d destroyed any chance of happiness for himself? 'How,' wondered Aoshi in horror, 'am I supposed to live without him?' He slumped against the archway and closed his eyes, trying to fight down despair. In such a short time, Ritsu had become more important to him than anything else in the world. If he lost him, he didn’t know what he’d do.

“Ritsu'” he moaned, as tears threatened to fall. He buried one of his hands in his hair, clutching at it like Ritsu used to do. 

So lost was he, that he almost didn’t hear the sound of the front door opening. His eyes flew open, and he stared in shock as Ritsu walked into the apartment with a plastic bag over his arm. Unaware of the turmoil he’d caused in his lover, Ritsu smiled when he saw Aoshi leaning in the archway.

“Ohayo, Aoshi-san,” he said cheerfully.

Aoshi straightened up and strode across the living room. Ritsu was startled to find himself swept up in a close, fierce embrace, while Aoshi buried his face in his hair. He was even more startled to feel that Aoshi was trembling. “Please don’t ever do that again,” Aoshi ground out, nearly stealing Ritsu’s breath as his arms tightened around him even more.

“Aoshi-san?” squeaked Ritsu in breathless puzzlement.

“I thought you left me, Ritsu-kun,” Aoshi said, his voice breaking. “I woke up and you were gone. I thought you’d run away. That I’d lost you.” He gave Ritsu a small shake, as the monkey felt a flash of horror that he’d scared Aoshi this badly by not telling him that he was going out.

Then Ritsu got an even bigger shock. “I love you, Ri-chan,” Aoshi said fiercely. His calm had shattered into a thousand pieces, leaving him vulnerable and exposed. He lifted his head from Ritsu’s hair to look down into his wide, amazed eyes. “I love you. Please don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Ritsu dropped the bag he’d been carrying on the floor, and unhesitatingly threw his arms around Aoshi in amazed joy. “I love you, too, Aoshi-san,” he said, burying his face in Aoshi’s bare chest and breathing in his smell deeply. “I’m sorry you were scared. I should have woken you up and told you I was going out, but you were sleeping so peacefully that I thought I could get back before you woke up…”

Aoshi was still trying to recover his equilibrium from hearing Ritsu admit that he loved him. “Why did you go out?" He asked, beginning to stroke Ritsu’s silky hair with gentle fingers. 

Ritsu pulled away from him enough to retrieve the fallen bag. “It’s kind of silly,” he admitted, flushing a little, as he picked the bag up. “I went out to get some of this, because I thought we could eat it together.”

“Eat it?” Aoshi took the bag from his hands and peered into it. “Takoyaki?” he said, recognizing the breaded octopus balls. “What, you think I need more stamina, Ri-chan?” he asked in amusement.

Ritsu blushed as he remembered just how much stamina Aoshi already had. “No, no, it’s just that- well, Tohru and I were talking once about how we’d like to eat takoyaki with someone special to us. So I thought…” he trailed off, embarrassed by his own romantic notions.

Aoshi stared at him for a moment. Then a slow, tender smile spread over his mouth. “Ri-chan, I would be proud to eat these with you. There’s no one else I’d rather be with. Come on,” he said. Still holding the bag, he reached out and took hold of Ritsu’s hand. He drew him along back into the bedroom. He urged Ritsu to sit on the edge of the bed, and sat down next to him. 

They ate the takoyaki, sometimes feeding each other. When they’d finished the whole bag, Aoshi tossed the empty bag in the trash, and pushed Ritsu down onto the bed. He began to remove his clothes, smiling. “Let’s see if it worked, Ri-chan,” he purred. “Let’s see if I have more stamina now,” Ritsu gasped in agreement, as Aoshi’s clever fingers pushed the uniform tunic off of his shoulders and his mouth closed over one of Ritsu’s nipples. 

 

Later, curled up next to Aoshi’s naked body, Ritsu felt such a sense of contentment that it nearly overwhelmed him. Aoshi idly stroked his hair and shoulders, his hands warm and gentle. “Ri-chan,” he breathed into Ritsu’s hair.

“Mmmm?”

“Would you move in with me?”

Ritsu turned his head to look up into Aoshi’s face. The silver eyes were serious, steady, and full of love for him. He quivered a bit under that gaze, as profound happiness welled in him. “You want me to move in with you?”

“Yes. More than I’ve ever wanted anything before. I love you, Ri-chan. I want to be with you. Will you?”

Ritsu was dumbfounded, but the welling of anxiety and self-loathing that he would have usually experienced before were missing. Aoshi wanted him. And Ritsu wanted nothing more than to be with Aoshi, who made him feel happy and confident and safe. 

“Hai,” he said softly. “I want to be with you, too, Aoshi-san. I love you.”

Aoshi made a sound of pleasure in the back of his throat as he bent his head to kiss Ritsu. “I think,” he said against Ritsu’s lips a moment later, “That I owe Aya-san a great debt. I’ll have to think of some way to pay him back. I’m not sure how, though. He’s given me the greatest gift I could ever receive.”


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: Thought I'd finish this one off. There is a sequel to it, involving Yuki and Haru, as well as Aya and Aoshi's friend Yuuji. If you want to read it, comment and let me know.

Epilogue-3 Months Later

Aya poured tea neatly into three cups, handing one to Shigure and the other to Hatori. His two friends had come to see him at his shop, a rare occurrence, but one that pleased him greatly. 

What made him the happiest was that Hatori had finally forgiven him for the whole Ritsu incident. He shuddered delicately as he remembered how angry the dragon had become, especially when he’d had to tell him that Ritsu-chan had moved in with Aoshi after they’d only known each other for a few weeks. Nothing Aya had said had convinced the overprotective doctor that everything would work out for the best. But then, Hatori had never seen the two lovers together. He spent most of his time at the Sohma compound, and Ritsu hadn’t had any reason in the last few months to go back there. 

Shigure was more supportive, although he hadn’t seen Ritsu since the fashion show, either. Aya couldn’t explain to them how Ritsu had blossomed under Aoshi’s care. They’d just have to see it for themselves, or they’d never believe it. They always thought he exaggerated about everything. Well, maybe he did about a lot of things, but still…

“So how long do you think he has left?” Shigure asked Hatori. 

Hatori looked even grimmer than usual as he replied. “Maybe a year, two at the most. He’s becoming frail.”

Aya mentally shrugged. Frankly, the death of Akito wouldn’t be anything that he was going to pretend to cry over. There were those that pitied the Head of the Sohma family, but Aya did not. He never wasted his time pitying those he didn’t like. Akito may have had his reasons, but he’d done a huge amount of damage to many members of the Sohma family, most especially the Juunishi. His own brother had suffered badly under Akito’s thumb.

“Aya, what did you…?” Shigure started to say, when the bell over the door jingled. Aya looked up to see who his customers were, and when he saw who’d walked into the shop, he smiled.

Hatori and Shigure had both turned when the bell rang, as well. If it were customers, they’d leave so that they wouldn’t be in Aya’s way. They saw two young men walking in the door, one younger and shorter with long light auburn hair, and the other tall, and strikingly handsome, with raven-black hair, and quiet silver eyes. It took both of them a moment to recognize the smaller boy, for Ritsu had changed a lot in the last three months.

It was obvious that Aoshi had taken to dressing his lover, for Ritsu was stylishly dressed in a rust-colored silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, tucked into brown leather pants. A belt made of round silver disks hugged his lean hips, and a necklace made of three strands of amber beads encircled his slender throat. His hair was unbound, because Aoshi preferred it that way. He strode forward into the store, followed by his tall lover, and called out easily, “Cousin Aya? Where are you?”

“Back here, Ri-chan,” Aya called, trying not to laugh at the way Hatori stiffened at the sight of Ritsu. Shigure’s large dog’s eyes were even larger than usual. Aya began to enjoy himself immensely.

Ritsu walked between the shelves. He smiled when he saw Hatori and Shigure sitting with Aya on the couches. “Hello, Shigure-san, Hatori-san,” he greeted them both cheerfully. “I haven’t seen either of you since the fashion show. How’s everything at home?”

Hatori cleared his throat. “Etto…everything is fine, Ri-chan,” he said, sounding almost puzzled.

Ritsu nodded. “Great. Tell everyone hi for me. Maybe I’ll come to visit once we get back.”

“Back?”Aya enquired. “What do you mean back, Ri-chan? Are you going somewhere?”

The young monkey made an assenting gesture. “Hai. Aoshi-san’s taking me to the Bahamas. He has a photo shoot there, so we thought we’d kill two birds with one stone, and make it a vacation as well. I can’t wait - maybe I’ll get a tan,” he grinned.

Aoshi laughed quietly from behind him. “Just don’t come crying to me if you get a sunburn, Itoshii,” he said fondly.

Ritsu turned his head to give his lover a rather saucy look. “You’ll just have to rub sun block all over me, Aoshi-san,” he purred.

Shigure made a small noise, as though he’d swallowed something wrong. Ritsu looked at him. “Are you all right, Shigure-san?” he asked in concern.

Shigure nodded. “Yes, I’m fine, Ri-chan,” he said, sounding a little dazed.

“Yokatta. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that we were going, Aya-san. I’ll send you a postcard, and get you some souvenirs. How about one of those tacky seashell animals?”

Aya made a horrified sound in the back of his throat. “Really, Ri-chan, don’t tease. My nerves,” he said, putting a hand to his forehead in pretend shock.

Ritsu laughed. “All right. We’ll see everybody in a few weeks. We’ve got a plane to catch.” He nodded affably at all of his relatives, as Aya said: “Have a great time, Ri-chan.” He turned, as Aoshi put a hand around his waist, and the two lovers exited the store.

 

Silence fell over the little group. Aya fought hard not to preen, feeling decidedly vindicated. He put up a hand to play with a strand of his hair, smiling slyly. Hatori took a deep breath, as Shigure blinked like his brain was trying to reboot. Aya refrained from beginning to whistle casually, but just barely. He could be insufferable when he was pleased with himself.

Hatori turned to look at Aya. His slate-grey eye appeared a little glazed. He shook his head as though trying to clear it, and then said slowly: “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, Aya, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll never say it again. But - you were right.”

Shigure gasped, his mouth dropping open. Aya did a double-take, not sure that he’d heard right. He stared at Hatori, his platinum-colored eyes wide, trying to assimilate the fact that Hatori had just said…A dazzling smile broke over his face, and he cocked his head a bit. “Of course I was, ‘tori,” he said smugly. “There is no one who knows men’s romance better than I.”

Shigure made a gagging noise. There’d be no living with Aya now. Hatori looked like he’d sucked on a lemon. He’d most likely regret his words for a long, long time to come. Aya ignored them, so pleased with himself was he. 'I really am a genius,' he thought happily. 

 

The End


End file.
